Click to play videoNew Delhi: As the counting say nears, all parties are getting the jitters. Politicians are lashing out at each other or reaching out to each other in a bid to woo as many allies as possible. Take a look at some of the major developments that took place on Friday.
LEFT UNSURE OF JAYA, DEVE GOWDA
There is a question mark over AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa's attendance at the Third Front meeting on May 18. Left parties say she may stay away as may JD(S) leader Deve Gowda.
AIADMK sources however insist that Jayalalithaa will attend the meet.
CPM leader M K Pandhe says, "We are not sure if JAYA is coming. We hope she will come but let us see what happens on May 18. Deve Gowda will also not come since it is his birthday that day and he remains at Tirupathi that day."
"She (Jayalalithaa) fought the election on the basis of non-Congress, non-BJP alliance. So we hope she will be with us," he added.
In this regard, he said that BJD was also with the Third Front and scotched rumours about the party sealing an alliance with the Congress.
Asked what the party was doing to keep the Third Front intact given that TRS had already joined hands with BJP, he shot back, saying that TRS MPs are being held captive by BJP.
"Let us wait till the results come out," he added.
Another politburo member Brinda Karat said the ultimate goal was a non-BJP, non-Congress government at the Centre.
Meanwhile, Deve Gowda's son Kumaraswamy too has said that his father will attend the Third Front meet.
MAYA SNUBBED
In what can only be called a post poll surprise, the Congress is going out of its way to snub BSP supremo Mayawati and pick a fight with her.
UP Congress Chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi has gone on an offensive against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister at a time when the Congress is bending backwards to accommodate as many allies as possible. The immediate provocation was Mayawati's plan to whitewash the Vidhan Sabha
Congress has gone as far as complaining to the UP Governor about her idea to whitewash the building - a clear sign that the party is in no mood to woo Mayawati.
Rita Bahuguna Joshi said that the Samajwadi Party is the Congress' natural ally. "We will approach them first. We think Mulayam Singh Yadav will get more seats in UP than Mayawati," she added.
The latest turn of events is sure to be greeted by the BJP with enthusiasm. Sources say the Advani camp has instructed Mayawati's one-time 'rakhi brother' Lalji Tandon to initiate dialogue with the BSP chief.
CONG MEMBER SHOULD BE PM: PRAFUL PATEL
NCP camp leader Praful Patel says NCP is part of UPA and that UPA will get more seats than NDA. He says that Congress is the largest party within the UPA and it will be natural for a Congress candidate to become the prime minister of the country.
"There is no Third Front that will bid for the government. It won't be a surprise if Left decides to support Congress or the UPA government.
"It is clear that UPA will have more seats than NDA. We all have to prepared for getting new friends on our side and I am happy that some sections make out Sharad Pawar as a candidate for the prime minister's post, but the fact is that we are a part of UPA. Our party is not so big to make bid for prime ministership. Congress is the largest party within the UPA and it will be natural that a Congress member becomes the prime minister," he added.
NCP A DIVIDED HOUSE, SANGMA AGAINST CONG
However, the NCP is clearly a divided house over support to the BJP and the Congress. NCP's strongman from Meghalaya, P A Sangma, has urged Sharad Pawar to sever all ties with the Congress.
Sangma has said that the NCP should not align with the Congress. He has also said that no party, not even the BJP is untouchable. Sangma, however, had no problem in suggesting that the Congress should support Sharad Pawar for the prime minister's post.
"The BJP is not untouchable. Nobody is untouchable. The NCP's Northeast unit and J-K unit have decided they have nothing to do with the Congress," he said.
He added that the Congress should gracefully support Sharad Pawar since they had "no respect for their own Prime Minister".
"The Congress did not care for their Prime Minister's instructions on Meghalaya when he had told Ahmad Patel that the Congress and the NCP should work together in the state," he added.
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