Can Third Front become a reality in Indian political map?

However, other regional and smaller parties have not come out openly in support of Mulayam. As of now, Third Front seems like a distant dream for Mulayam.

Earlier, BJD and AIADMK did not take part in a protest against UPA government over coalgate scam, during the monsoon session of Parliament. The protest was organised by SP, Left and Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Many saw coming together of SP, TDP and Left as an indication of emergence of Third Front in the political arena of the country.

However, on Tuesday senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Gurudas Dasgupta had said that he was not optimistic about the formation of a Third Front ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. Left too is also making cautious move in terms of whole-heartedly supporting Mulayam's attempt to revive Third Front.

Other smaller parties are also suspicious about Mulayam's intention, after his flip-flop during the crucial Indo-US nuclear deal.

The idea of Third front was first envisioned way back in 2009. It was formally launched in March 2009. Third Front is a coalition of Left and major regional parties in India vowing to defeat the Congress-led UPA and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA in general elections and form the union government. The coming together of regional and other smaller parties of India was said to address the "country's need for a new alternative."

Third front consists of Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Janata Dal (Secular), the Telugu Desam Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Forward Bloc and the Janhit Congress Party of the former Haryana Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal.

However, Third Front encountered a major setback in the General Elections of 2009, when its numbers were reduced in the Lok Sabha after the polls.

Under the current scenario, experts say Third Front is unlikely to take a concrete shape as most of the regional parties share a number of differences amongst them.

Unless and until SP, BSP, JD (S), AIADMK, TDP, BJD and RJD don't iron out all their differences, Third Front will only remain an idea, which political parties would revive on and off, to gain some brownie points.