Kolkata: Claiming a fractured verdict in the Lok Sabha polls the West Bengal Chief Minister and senior CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) leader Buddhadev Bhattacharjee today (Apr 27, 2004) said that in a post-poll scenario Left parties would try to work on a Third Front Government minus BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Congress, but failing which it will give support to a Congress-led one.

"In the event of a hung Lok Sabha we will initiate the process of forming a non-NDA, non-Congress Government by uniting secular and democratic forces, like the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal), DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) and others in forming an alternative Government. But if such an effort fails to come off, we will support the Congress," Bhattacharjee told reporters in an interview at the CPM HQ in Kolkata.

Stating that the Left block would emerge as 'the third most powerful group' in the Lok Sabha elections and play a decisive role in forming an alternative, he also expressed confidence of taking Samajwadi Party on board despite apprehensions on the current role of its leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"It is difficult to understand Mulayam Singh Yadav's mind...Vajpayeeji's claim of having no ideological difference with Mulayam has been denied by Amar Singh.. I don't know what is going on actually. But we will try our best to get him in."

Bhattacharjee, however, remained non-committal on CPM's participation in such a Third Front Government saying, "It depends on whether we can play a meaningful role".

The CPM leader was firm in saying that if such efforts failed, "we will support the Congress in Government formation at the Centre from outside without joining it."