The Third Front got a leg-up on Wednesday when Sharad Pawar addressed four joint NCP-BJD-Left rallies in Orissa. Last week, the NCP chief had cancelled his trip to Bhubaneswar at the last minute to address a similar rally, citing a technical snag in the aircraft after Congress leaders raised objections to his trip.

With Pawar sitting besides him, Orissa chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik stated the obvious in his address: the UPA has already been weakened along with the NDA and people should therefore vote for regional parties which will play an important role in government-formation at the Centre after the polls. Going for the jugular, Naveen reminded people of the “dark days” of Congress rule in the state, when politicians “hankered after power and money without bothering about the state’s interests”.

Pawar recalled his association with the late Biju Patnaik and how Naveen could only accomplish “Bijuda’s dreams”. He refrained from criticising the Congress or UPA, but congratulated Naveen for ending his alliance with the BJP. “The state has suffered due to communal riots,” said Pawar.

“The poor have suffered, the farmers have suffered and the weaker sections have suffered. Naveen realised this and ended the alliance with the BJP. Naveen also showed a new road by bringing all secular forces together in the state.

” Naveen said, “To keep the Congress and the BJP at bay, we have entered into seat-adjustment with the NCP, CPI and CPM. Orissa is a backward state and the government’s cooperation is necessary” “In the name of national interests, parties such as the BJP and the Congress have always ignored our state interests,” he added. “The BJD has always fought to protect the state’s interests and it will do so in the future.

” He said everyone had the right to live in peace. “In the name of religion, killings have taken place in Orissa which are not acceptable to a civilised society,” he said.

“The BJP was trying to divide the society. The voters should give a befitting reply to BJP’s communal politics”.

Though no national-level Left leader was present at the rallies, there were plenty of red flags at the venues and the CPI’s election symbol could be seen on the dais. Local Left leaders addressed the meeting before Pawar’s arrival.