BSP supremo Mayawati Sunday ruled out seat adjustment with any party in the Lok Sabha polls and declared that the issue of the prime ministerial candidate of the Third Front would be decided after the elections. The dinner meeting of the Front leaders to be hosted by her would not discuss the issue of prime ministership, she told a press conference in New Delhi. “The meeting has nothing to do with the issue of prime ministership. The issue will be decided only after the results of the 15th Lok Sabha polls are out,” she said. But definitely, the meeting would discuss plans to keep the UPA and NDA out of power, she said. “All our allies are contesting the elections separately and after the elections, we will unitedly prevent the UPA and NDA from coming to power,” she said, adding that the way the Front was being targeted showed that its detractors have become ‘panicky'. Telugu Desam President N. Chandrababu Naidu supported Miyawati allegation saying that talks about the premiership will only come after the elections. “The name of the Prime Minister will be announced only after reaching a consensus after the elections,” he said. Naidu, who left for New Delhi Sunday afternoon to attend the dinner hosted by the Bahujan Samaj Party leader and Mayawati in honor of third front leaders, said several political parties have come together to work before the elections and they will form a coalition after the balloting. “There are so many parties and we have to work with them. We have to bring consensus. Then only we can announce a name. More than us, you seem to be in a hurry”, Naidu told reporters when asked about reports that Mayawati wants to be projected as next Prime Minister if third front comes to power. Naidu said that Maywati had not made any such demand and it was only the media carrying such reports. Naidu, the prominent leader of the emerging Third Front, has expressed confidence that the Parliamentary elections in the country will be similar to the 1996 result and and the third front will form the next government. Naidu recalled that since 1996 all coalitions at the Center were formed only after the elections. Even the present UPA coalition and the earlier NDA coalition were formed as post-poll alliances, he said. He also made it clear that all parties, which were part of the third front - including the left, TDP, Janata Dal, AIADMK, BJP and BSP - were all contesting elections independently concentrating on their own states. “Some parties were also concentrating on couple of neighboring states. We will form a coalition before the elections and work together after the elections,” Naidu added. “We are trying to provide an alternative. 1996 will be repeated when all the parties had contested independently and, after the elections, joined hands to provide good governance”, he said. It was the “heartfelt desire” of party founder Kanshi Ram that BSP captured power at the Center and in all the states, said Mayawati, who has often been projected the party's prime ministerial candidate. Mayawati released the BSP's “appeal” for the Lok Sabha elections in which she has promised that if her party came to power at the Center, her government will provide reservation for upper castes.
