Federal Front: MK Stalin cancels meet with K Chandrasekhar Rao

Hyderabad: While Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the meeting with Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who is batting for the Federal Front, was significant, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M.K. Stalin seems to have backed out of a meeting with Mr Rao, scheduled for May 13, citing a busy Assembly by-election schedule.

With two weeks left for the election results to be declared, Mr Rao has started preparing for a post-election scenario in which he hopes to be kingmaker.

Mr Rao met Mr Vijayan on Monday night and had lengthy discussions about the latest political situation in the county and the post-polls scenario.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday in Thiruvananth-apuram, Mr Vijayan said, “The meeting with CM KCR was significant. We discussed the national political scenario.” He said that Mr Rao believes that neither the NDA nor the UPA will get a majority, so the regional parties will play a prominent role in government formation. There was no discussion about the prime ministerial candidate.

'The Left parties have been against the BJP from the beginning and have a soft corner for the Congress. However, if there is any possibility of a non-BJP and non-Congress government emerging, the Left parties are ready to support it. Mr Vijayan said that they will meet again after the Lok Sabha results are declared.
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Mr Rao was to proceed to Chennai to meet DMK chief M K Stalin on May 13, but DMK sources said that Mr Stalin is busy with by-elections in four assembly seats due on May 19 and no meeting is thus possible.

Mr Stalin has met Mr Rao twice before and has extended his support for the proposed Federal Front. But in the Lok Sabha elections, the DMK has entered into a poll pact with the Congress in Tamil Nadu. Further, Mr Stalin openly backed Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as the Opposition’s choice for PM. He is therefore hesitant about meeting Mr Rao who wants a non-Congress and non-BJP government.

A clearer picture will emerge only after the Lok Sabha results, when Mr Stalin may take the decision to support the Federal Front if none of the big parties can form the government.