New Delhi, The formation process of the third political alternative has hit a major roadblock with BSP chief Mayawati refusing to join the front if she is not declared as Prime Ministerial candidate.

This main obstacle has led to the postpone of a massive rally, which had planned by the UNPA convernor and Telugu Desam Party president Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh next month to kick-start the campaign of the front. The attempts of the CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat and Naidu to prevail upon Mayawati not to press for Prime Ministerial candidature before the elections proved futile.

The sources in the UNPA said the BSP chief and the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati during the course of her meetings with Karat and Naidu on Saturday insisted that the UNPA and Left first come clean on the Third Front candidate for the office of the country's top executive slot, which both of them were not in a position to commit as opposition has been gaining ground within the UNPA and the Left for unilaterally projecting an individual as Prime Minister's candidate.

The constituents of the UNPA and the Left are unhappy over the manner in which Mayawati announced to contest all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and refusing to accommodate any of her existing or future allies. Both Naidu and Karat wanted her to withdraw the announcement, as it would hurt the unity of the third front. But she refused to budge arguing that none of the party of the UNPA and the Left has any electoral influence in India's most populous state.

According to sources the prospects of third front taking off with BSP on board seem elusive, as Mayawati has refused to discuss the leadership issue in the next meeting. In fact, she wanted the two leaders to settle down the leadership issue first then only she would think of attending any of the meetings of the third front.

Meanwhile, two other constituents of the third front JD (S) of former Prime Minister H D Devegowda and Rastriya Lok Dal of Ajit Singh have also rejected the offer of joining the third front with Mayawati at the helm of affairs. Ajit Singh, who is currently hobnobbing with the BJP for a possible seat-sharing arrangement in UP is opposed to BSP because Mayawati had turned down his offer of an electoral alliance. Similarly, Devegowada is sulking as his demand for one or two seats in UP was also rejected.

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