Triggering speculation about the emergence of a new political alignment, leaders of the ruling Biju Janata Dal in Orissa, the Left and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party shared the dais at a joint rally in Bhubaneswar on Friday. Pawar, who was unable to attend due to a technical snag in his aircraft, spoke to the gathering over the phone.

"I would have loved to be there to address the joint rally, but I'm stuck in Nashik," he said. BJD and NCP leaders, however, made it clear that the rally, christened 'Vijay Abhijan Samabesh' (Joint Victory Campaign), should not be viewed as a Third Front event, but a convergence of like-minded forces.

Mounting a scathing attack on both the Bharatiya Janata Party [Images] and the Congress, leaders of Left parties predicted emergence of a new political equation in the country. "Naveen Patnaik will play a very significant role in the formation of a non-Congress and non-BJP government at the Centre after the elections," Communist Party of India Secretary D Raja said.

Describing the riots that rocked the state in the aftermath of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati's killing on August 23 last year as a 'national shame', he said it was good that the Patnaik-led BJD had severed its ties with the BJP.

He claimed that Congress was only shedding crocodile tears over the violence at Kandhamal and accused both BJP and Congress of trying to hoodwink tribals, Dalits and the backward sections.

Bardhan said that it was significant that all non-Congress and non-BJP forces were joining hands and the battle line had already been drawn for the ensuing elections.

The BJD's joining hands with Left and NCP came to existence after the regional party severed its 11-year old ties with the BJP on March 7. Communist Party of India - Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury [Images] was prompt enough to meet Patnaik on March 8, raising hopes of the Third Front leaders for a non-Congress and non-BJP alliance.

"The Left-NCP-BJD rally would certainly decide the future of the next government at the Centre," CPI-M leader Janardan Pati said.