Lok Sabha election 2019: KCR starts ‘Third Front’ meetings  

Pinarayi Vijayan (L) and K Chandrasekhar Rao.

New Delhi: Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s meeting with his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan, on Monday, stimulated political interest. Media reported quoting sources that KCR’s plan of a prime minister is from south India in a non-BJP-non-Congress concoction at the Centre.

According to the reports, Rao discussed a “Federal Front” minus the BJP or the Congress, on the lines of the “1996-formula,” which has not seen very successful prototypes.

Rao, who has been on the forefront of “Third Front”, has reached out to Congress allies like Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and DMK’s president MK Stalin.

However, sources from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam indicated that the meeting on May 13 – announced by the Telangana chief minster’s office – may not happen and reasoned that Stalin was “busy” with campaigning for the last round of voting on May 19.

Meanwhile, KCR, in his meeting with Pinarayi Vijayan, who leads a Left front government in Kerala, also proposed a prime minister “preferably from south India” but took no names, as the reports said.

Referring to the meeting as “highly significant”, Vijayan said, “KCR discussed the national political scenario. According to KCR, both fronts may not get the majority and so regional parties will get a prominent role ... There were no discussions about prime minister candidate.”

Sensing that regional parties could play an important role in the next government, KCR is seen as preparing for a role in national politics.

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