Monday, September 19 2005 18:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Apprehensive of the damage that can be caused by the Third Front comprising Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and some other parties, four United Progressive Alliance (UPA) allies; RJD, Congress, Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) and NCP today (Sept 19, 2005) held the first round of seat-sharing talks for Bihar Assembly polls.

"We held preliminary talks today and by tomorrow we will finalise the seat-sharing adjustment so that we can take a plunge jointly. But if any other party wants to join the secular compartment, we have no objection," Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo and Rail Minister Lalu Prasad told reporters.

The meeting lasting nearly two hours at Prasad's residence was attended by AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh, CPI(M) polit bureau member Sitaram Yechury and NCP leader Tariq Anwar. Bihar PCC Chief Sadanand Singh was also present.

Without naming LJP headed by Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, the RJD chief said that doors were still open for other secular parties to join the RJD-led alliance in the state. "But the four of us are united like rock," he said, but declined to divulge how many seats each of them was claiming.

Today's meeting, the first such joint exercise by the UPA allies and outside supporter CPI(M), comes a day after CPI offered its support to Paswan to end 15 years of RJD 'misrule' in the state.

Asked to comment on the Third Front, Prasad dismissed it as a group of parties without any base. "I have seen many fronts. The voters will teach them a lesson," he said adding a Common Minimum Programme will be drafted soon.