The convention, organised by the Left parties, will be noteworthy more for the reason that Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav is attending it. Laloo, viewed by the Left parties as the personification of corruption until recently, is now considered their biggest bulwark against communalism.

Besides Laloo and his comrade-in-arms Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, the Left parties have also invited former prime ministers H D Deve Gowda, I K Gujral and Chandra Shekhar. Others invited include leaders of the constituents of the United Front like G K Moopanar of the TMC and Murasoli Maran of the DMK.

Though the convention has been billed as a major step towards regrouping of the forces constituting the erstwhile United Front, the emergence of a new third front may still beelusive. The bone of contention again is Laloo.

While Mulayam has been lobbying hard for a front which includes Laloo, a vocal section of the Janata Dal led by Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan has been opposing the idea. Deve Gowda, once a bitter enemy of Laloo, has however had a change of heart and is willing to do business with him.

In the Left, the CPI(M) has been pushing a pro-Laloo line but the CPI which has been attacking the RJD day in and day out in Bihar is lukewarm towards him. For the third front to become a reality, the Left parties themselves will have to resolve their contradictions arising out of their approach to Laloo.