Monday, January 16 2006 15:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kumarakkom: While some political parties foresee the re-emergence of a third front, the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) leader and Union Fertilisers minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, today (Jan 16, 2006)said those who talk of reviving the third front are 'far removed from reality'.

"The third front means a coalition sans Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the two major political parties. There cannot be a third front without either of the two parties," Paswan told sources here.

(The Rashtriya Lok Dal Chief, Ajit Singh, had recently said that with 'growing influence' of smaller regional parties at the Centre, he foresaw the re-emergence of a third front).

"You cannot keep away Congress and BJP. You will have to suffer either BJP or Congress', Paswan, who is on a four-day visit to Kerala, said.

Even if the DMK, PMK, Left parties and TDP come together, a majority of the states are either ruled by Congress or BJP.More than 60 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats are in states ruled by either of the two parties.

Pointing out that coalition politics was here to stay, he said single party rule would not be seen in another 10 to 15 years. Regional parties were becoming more stronger, he said.

The coming assembly elections in Kerala and West Bengal would be the acid test for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition at the Centre. In both states, the CPI(M) and Congress would be locked in straight battles.

"This is the first test when the two UPA partners will fight tooth and nail against each other and still claim they are UPA partners," Paswan said.