No Uf Poll Pact Even After 24-Hour Meet

It began at midnight on Monday and continued till 3 am on Tuesday when the leaders dispersed without achieving a breakthrough. They assembled the same day again at around 11 am and resumed the mutual contest for a larger share in the UF nominee list. The meeting was still continuing with no breakthrough in sight at the time of writing this report.

The gathering had all the luminaries of the United Front - Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal president Laloo Prasad, defence minister and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, Congress Tiwari leader ND Tiwari, Janata Dal working president Sharad Yadav, information and broadcasting minister CM Ibrahim, the latest entrant to UF, Ajit Singh, and Chaudhary Mahendra Singh Tikait and senior leaders of the Left parties.

The meeting had a good sprinkling of Prime Minister Deve Gowda who was mixing his responsibilities as Prime Minister with playing mediator. The Prime Minister took leave of the UF leaders at regular intervals to receive visitors, or attend to his work. Occasionally, he also stretched on the sofa and took short naps in between claims and counter claims of different parties.