DMK reaches out to regional parties for non-BJP, non-Congress platform; Owaisi, Azad, Maurya plan front for UP polls

New Delhi: Efforts are being made to bring together non-BJP and non-Congress players at the national and state levels, including in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

At the national level, DMK has begun reaching out to regional players, with party leader Kanimozhi holding discussions with TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule.

She has also reached out to several South Indian parties, to bring non-BJP, non-Congress regional forces onto a common platform.


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The initiative comes amid changed political equations in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK's ties with Congress have broken down after the latter joined the Vijay-led TVK alliance.

In Uttar Pradesh, a parallel exercise is gathering pace ahead of the assembly elections. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshiram) chief Chandrashekhar Azad, and former UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya are discussing a common platform.

Sources said an announcement could be made at a Lucknow press conference on September 27, with Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) chief Pallavi Patel also being considered for the alliance.