Noting that most of the possible allies in the Third Front are regional parties, former CPI general secretary A B Bardhan also said the embarrassment of its premature failure could have been avoided if the Left had not gone into seat sharing talks with them before the elections.
"Such a Front can come about only after the elections," Bardhan said in an interview with Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate programme.
Asked whether he would accept that the attempt to work out regional arrangements with regional parties was a mistake, Bardhan said, "All the regional parties, was a mistake."
He, however, said it was not an "embarrassing failure" of the Left Front.
"It is difficult to put it together before the elections, because a third front can come about only with a non Congress, non BJP parties. Mostly these are regional parties," he said.
"AIADMK invited us first. When talks started for the seats, they only offered one seat each. So we told them thank you we don't want one seat," he said.
When pointed out his statement that Jayalalithaa is a potential Prime Minister, he said, "May I say it is she who invited us for talks. I didn't go to her and it is she who announced to the press that we are having an alliance.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
