People's Democratic Party chief Abdul Nasser Mahdani on Friday said that instead of merging with the Samajwadi Party he was now more inclined to push for an UNPA-like front in Kerala, involving the SP and other national parties as well as the “frustrated” local parties with a pro-poor agenda. He added that the front would include local Dalit and lower caste outfits. Mahdani claimed that besides the SP, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party had also tried to woo him and had sent separate delegations to negotiate with him after he was released from prison. Mahdani had spent nine years as the prime accused in the 1998 serial terror blasts at Coimbatore, and was released a few months ago.

“We are yet to assess the proposals sent by RJD and BSP. Both these parties want us to merge with them, so does the SP,” said Mahdani. In the SP’s case, the PDP’s 18-member central action committee, its state secretariat and district-level leaders discussed the idea of a merger and then left it to Mahdani to take the final decision. “I need to be sure that the character and complexion of that party will remain as acceptable to us in future as it is now,” he added.

According to Mahdani, who claims to be close to Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP chief had almost convinced him regarding the merger, just before he went to jail. However, the merger was stalled at the last minute due to some “technical problems”. Mahdani said Mulayam and Amar Singh had come to Kochi to address a convention that he had organised post his release. “Both of them urged me to merge with their party,” he said.

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