Third front, launched in March 2009, is a coalition of Left and major regional parties in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 vowing to defeat the Congress-led UPA

Upa

Upa or UPA may refer to:As the word Upa*Upa, central character in the video game Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa *Bridge in Brazilian jiu jitsu, a move designed to dislodge a mounted opponent...

 and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA

NDA

NDA is an abbreviation that may refer to:* National Dance Association, the oldest American organization for dance education* National Defence Academy , a military academy in India...

 in general elections and form the union government. The formation was said to address the “country’s need for a new alternative.”

Member Parties

The parties that united to form the Third front are Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...

, the Communist Party of India

Communist Party of India

The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...

, the Janata Dal (Secular)

Janata Dal (Secular)

The Janata Dal is a Centre-left ಕನ್ನಡ: ಜನತಾ ದಳIndian political party led by former Prime Minister of India H.D. Deve Gowda.The party recognized as state party in the states of Karnataka and Kerala . It was formed in July 1999 by the split of Janata Dal party. It has political presence mainly in...

, the Telugu Desam Party

Telugu Desam Party

Telugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...

, the Bahujan Samaj Party

Bahujan Samaj Party

The Bahujan Samaj Party is a centrist national political party in India with socialist leanings. It was formed to chiefly represent Bahujans , referring to people from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes as well as Buddhists. The party claims to be inspired by the...

, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. The party was founded by M. G. Ramachandran and is now headed by J. Jayalalithaa. The party headquarters is in Royapettah, Chennai, and was gifted to the party in 1986 by its...

, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi

Telangana Rashtra Samithi

Telangana Rashtra Samithi is a regional separatist political party in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Ideology:Telangana Rashtra Samithi's main aim is to separate Telangana region from Andhra Pradesh and to regain regional autonomy as it existed before the formation of Andhra Pradesh...

, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Forward Bloc, and the Janhit Congress Party of the former Haryana Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal.

2009 Elections

The third front received a setback in the 2009 elections as it reduced in numbers in th Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...

after the polls.