Naidu may prefer Mamata’s Front

In the recent political developments relating to formation of the Third Front at national level, AP Chief Minister and TD national president N. Chandrababu Naidu may prefer to sail with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Third Front rather than with TS Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's Third Front.

The chiefs of several regional parties have been reacting to the idea of a Third Front but Mr Naidu has not commented so far.

In a recent press conference Mr Rao was asked whether he had contacted Mr Naidu about the Third Front and he replied “not yet”.

There are several disputes arising out of the bifurcation of the old Andra Pradesh state and Mr Naidu joining hands with Mr Rao may be disadvantageous to him at this point, said a senior leader of the TD.

It is not year clear whether the Third Fronts of Mr Rao and Ms Banerjee are one and same or separate. If they are separate, Mr Naidu will support Ms Banerjee's front and if they are one, then he would prefer she led the third front, said TD leaders.

The heads of the two Telugu states cannot join hands unless the disputes relating to state bifurcation are resolved. These disputes involve sharing of assets of 9th and 10th Schedule institutions and AP Bhavan in Delhi, with TS holding that AP has no share in these assets, and AP arguing that according to population ratio it does have a share.