New Delhi, Two major Left parties CPI and CPI (M) have sought to enter into an electoral alliance with BSP to field their candidate in some of the assembly and Lok Sabha where they were quite a force to reckon with during 1970s.

The leaders of the two parties have reportedly approached BSP chief and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati asking for at least five Lok Sabha seats. CPI has staked claim on three seats of which two are in east UP and one in Bundelkhand. The CPI (M) has asked for one seat in Kanpur from where its trade union leader Suhasini Ali had won once during 1980s and other seat the party has claimed is in western Uttar Pradesh and is most probably Gaziabad. Currently, Congress is holding this seat.

During 1970s CPI had 16 MLAs and six MPs from Uttar Pradesh. The party lost its ground over the year particularly after the emergence of Mulayam Singh Yadav and the BSP as these two parties ate out CPI's tradition Dalit, Muslim and OBC vote bank. The issue of the possibility of an electoral alliance with BSP was discussed recently when a senior CPI leader met Mayawati in Lucknow. The CPI (M) had two members in the outgoing assembly. Both won with the support of SP. Mayawati has not yet responded to Left parties request, however.

The two Communist parties are pinning their hopes on Mayawati to revive their lost base after she showed her inclination to join the yet to come up third front to counter both the ruling UPA and opposition NDA. However, her condition that she be made the head of the third political formation has created ripples among the various constituents of the third front including Left parties. Two smaller allies of the Left front RSP and Forward Bloc have opposed the move initiated by CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat projecting Mayawati as third front's Prime Ministerial candidate. They have described it as a unilateral decision and against their ideology of not projecting individualism.

The BSP chief, who was supposed to join the third front in a rally in Andhra Pradesh has suddenly changed her mind and set a condition that the issue of the leader of third front should be settled down first. She wanted her to be projected as Prime Ministerial candidate. The major constituents of the UNPA are of the view that the issue could be resolved after the elections. This prompted the UNPA to put off the rally, which was planned by the Telugu Desam Party to show a united face of third front.

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