With Ramdas Athawale firm on granting entry to Ramvilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) into the Third Front, Dr Rajendra Gavai has threatened to field his own candidates against the LJP. The Republican Left Democratic Front (RLDF), formed by Ramdas Athawale to take on the Congress-NCP as well as the Shiv Sena-BJP alliances in the assembly elections, appears to be on the verge of breaking up within a month of its launch.

Athwale has admitted LJP into the Front and decided to allot five seats to it. The decision has annoyed Gavai who heads the Republican Party of India (Gavai). “We are firm on our demand that Paswan’s party should not be a part of the front,” Gavai told The Indian Express on Friday. “If Athawale goes ahead and gives tickets to Paswan’s candidates, we’ll field our candidates in those constituencies.”

He alleged that Athawale was running the affairs of the front in an autocratic manner without consulting the leaders of the constituent parties. “We come to know about decisions when they are announced by Athawale at news conferences. He has taken us for granted.”

Athawale too is firm. “I won’t tolerate such outbursts from leaders of the front. If someone wants to go out, he can,” he said.

Sources said Gavai was under pressure from the Congress to quit the front. They said if Gavai remained in the RLDF, the detractors of his father and Kerala Governor RS Gavai were likely to press for his resignation. Gavai Sr had headed the RPI faction till he was made Governor of Bihar (before being shifted to Kerala).

... contd.