New Delhi, The President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Sharad Pawar, said on Tuesday that the country needs a third front.

Addressing a press conference after the induction of Congress rebel P.C. Chacko into the NCP, the veteran politician said that talks are on with different parties regarding the formation of the third front.

"The country needs a third front and talks are on with different political parties over its formation. Even CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury stated on Tuesday that there is a need for a third front, which is yet to take shape," Pawar said.

The third front is likely to include regional parties and Pawar could lead the formation at the national level, said a source.

The NCP is part of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra along with the Shiv Sena and the Congress.

The NCP is part of the Left alliance in Kerala, while Pawar also shares a good equation with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, besides sharing good rapport with the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. He can also persuade the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), JD-S and YRSCP to join the third front, provided their regional interests do not clash with the NCP.

The Congress, which is expected to lead the opposition, is facing a leadership crisis with many leaders expressing dissatisfaction over the functioning of the team led by Rahul Gandhi. The party has failed to cross the three-figure mark in two successive Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.