Pawar foresees 'broad union' of secular parties after polls

NCP leader Sharad Pawar today said there would be a 'broad union' of secular parties at the national level after the Lok Sabha elections.

Pawar, who was talking to reporters at the airport here on his way to Agatti in Laksahadweep, however, refused to elaborate.

Asked about the chances of the Third Front and whether he would be part of it, he said, "I do not want to talk on prospects of the Third Front now".

"We have to wait and see in the elections what will happen to the Third Front" he said, adding, it was "important to get the support of the Third Front parties especially secular ones like the Left."

 Pawar triggered strong speculation over his future moves last week when he skipped a BJD-Left rally in Bhubaneswar, after senior UPA partner Congress voiced reservations over his sharing a platform with Third Front leaders. NCP has an alliance with BJD in Orissa.
  
NCP has fielded K Muraleedharan, its state president as the candidate in Wayanad and Dr Pookunji Koya as its candidate from Lakshadweep. "The party will create a new history in Kerala," he said.

CPI-M and Congress headed fronts in Kerala had ignored the NCP, he said, adding, a major political polarisation could be expected in the state after the elections.