Third time Thrid Front

With the 2019 elections nearing there is jostling in the oppositon to provide leadership to face off Modi and BJP. Telengana chief minister KCR has thrown his towel in the ring announcing his intent to provide leadership. He declared his interntions to lead the country. His son is waiting in the wings to take over the state and he has to make space.

KCR's party TRS went bonkers and the cadre celebrated his intent of providing leadership to the country boisterously. KCR called Mamata, Stalin etc and recieved support from them on the idea of third front. KCR claimed wide support for an anti-Modi group for 2019. He started the ground work and met Mamata. Its hard to read and manage Mamata, though she recieved KCR well and spent time with him she did not go to the town talking about thrid front as a great idea -means she is not convinced. The UP leaders Mayawati (BSP) and Akhilesh (SP) are notorious and will not do anything that will project a national leader other than themselves. Maywati sure nurtures the idea of being a PM, so does Mulayam perhaps his son Akhilesh too.

Sharad Pawar(NCP) is the master of the game and will not let an upstart like KCR to get away with ideas, Pawar started his own idea of a Third front and is meeting people. He may do a better job given his experience and National stature. Time will tell. The communists are nowhere and will join any front whcih will give them relevance and hope to live another day. TDP is quiet, Chandra Babu knows about the outcome so he is focussing on saving his seat in 2019. Shiv Sena despite rumblings will not endeavor into this kichidi front.

Third front in the Indian context is fraught with dangers. It is a battle for being the King of the forest.There are too many lions in the third front forest. It was attempted as National front under the leadership of V.P.Singh with an assortment of parties. The late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi dubbed it as a National affront which it ended as. They did a shabby job of running the country.

Then came the United Front in 1996, again an assorment of parties, H.D.Deve Gowda and I.K.Gujral were PM's in this miserable outing to run the country.

A bunch of parties with varied interests, diferent ideological moorings, hatred towards Congress and now BJP coming together to get power is what Third front is about. The last two outings were total disasters and there is no reason to believe why this one will not be. They may still form a a front time will what it will end up as.

KCR is under some pressure on his home turf with Congress giving a good fight. He pours vitriol on Congress on a daily basis and is scarred of Modi. He has two enemies to fight and so he is cleverly using the Third front plot to elevate himself as a National leader. His promise of Bangaru Telengana is now left for his son to achieve.