Buoyed by the Left parties' advocacy of a third political front sans Congress and BJP, the Samajwadi Party has expressed confidence that the proposed configuration would start taking concrete shape after assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala next year.
The SP hopes to rope in Telugu Desam Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazagam and the Nationalist Congress Party in the planned formation.
"Some common minimum programmes of the proposed Third Front could be floated after the assembly polls in the two states," SP's chief whip in Lok Sabha and a member of the party's think-tank Mohan Singh said.
Claiming that his party had played a crucial role in convincing the left parties on the necessity for such an alternative, he said SP would have a major role in the prospective third front.
Asked which other parties could be part of Third Front besides the left, Singh said there were several strong regional outfits, which would readily welcome the Third Force.
"We are in touch with TDP on the issue. It will soon come with us," Singh claimed.
"Besides, we do not think that the DMK-Congress alliance will last long and the former may quit the UPA to join the
Third Front," he said.