New Delhi: With just one more phase of polling to go before the verdict is out on India's general elections, the entire spectrum of political alliances is clogged with conflicting signals from different parties.
It's now becoming clear that once the final results are out, virtually any party can ally with any party.
And to ensure that the non- BJP, non-Congress Front stays intact, CPM chief Prakash Karat met Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Karat met Naveen apparently to secure a definite assurance from him that his party, the Biju Janata Dal, will stick to the Front.
"I came to discuss with Naveen Patnaik how to work out an alliance. We are working for a non-Congress, non-BJP combine at the Centre after the polls," said Karat after the meeting.
Karat also said that no party would get a definite majority.
Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, Patnaik said he was confident that BJD would form government in Orissa.
The BJD has a pre-poll alliance with the CPI, CPM and the NCP in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections but there are doubts over the role that Naveen Patnaik will play if the NDA and the Third Front fail to reach anywhere close to forming the next government at the Centre.
As a matter of fact, Patnaik had earlier made it clear that he would support a non-BJP non-Congress government at the Centre in the post-poll scenario, and was ready to support Left leader Prakash Karat as the next Prime Minister.