The Congress has virtually defused talk of a third alternative, popularly known as third front, by winning over Samjawadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The Left has been optimistic that the SP could play a key role in checking the Congress at the national level under the banner of third front. However, Mr Yadav has been consistent in backing the Manmohan Singh government since 2004 “unconditionally” and had even ditched the Left on the nuclear deal issue in July 2008.
The SP led by Mr Yadav has been playing a role of B-team of the Congress at the national level. His fellow socialists in the Janata Parivar view this is because of the CBI.
He had earlier allied with Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in the presidential election last year but swiftly moved away and thus compelled her to back Mr Pranab Mukherjee.
The Congress insiders are confident that a third alternative cannot emerge without its support for the simple reason that it alone can bring the Left, SP, BJD, TDP, JD(U), JD(S) and others together against the BJP.
The non-BJP parties divided in different fronts are seen as prospective allies of the Congress once the saffron party plays the Hindutva and Mandir cards in the coming electoral battle.