Congress likely to decide on SP pact next week

New Delhi: The proposed alliance between the Congress and Samajwadi Party, it seems, became hostage to the internal feud within the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh.

Talks were going on to form a “Mahagathbandhan” ahead of the Assembly elections between the SP, Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal-led Ajit Singh, Janata Dal(U) and other parties in the state.

Strong indications of the alliance in the state came when Congress’ chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh polls Sheila Dikshit had willingly offered last week to step aside if the tie-up takes place.

According to sources, the Samajwadi Party will leave somewhere around 125 to 135 seats for other parties. Of these, the Congress will have to distribute seats among other parties such as Rashtriya Lok Dal, JD(U), Peace Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal, Sanjay Nishad’s party of Nishads, Rajbhar Party and one faction of Apna Dal.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will be roped in to woo Kurmis in the state. Mr Kumar will also be the grand alliance’s face in the eastern Uttar Pradesh, which adjoins Bihar. The three main players of the alliance would be Akhilesh Yadav, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Jayant Singh.

However, there are certain seats in the parliamentary constituencies of Amethi and Rae Barielly, which the Congress is keen on contesting.

Sources indicated that the next week might see an announcement, but leaders of both parties feel that time is running out as the first phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections is just a month away.

One seat in Amethi is that of a sitting minister Gayatri Prajapati in the Mr Akhilesh Yadav government, while MLA Manoj Pandey is a sitting Samajwadi Party MLA from Unchahar in the Rae Bareilly constituency. Mr Pandey is also a cabinet minister in the Mr Akhilesh government.

Another major problem the two parties could face would be relating to the seats, where their candidates had came second in the last assembly election of 2012. Senior Congress leader Vivek Bansal from Aligarh and Vivek Singh from Banda stood second in the last assembly polls.

Sources indicated that the next week will might see an announcement, but leaders of both parties feel that time is running out as the first phase of polling for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections is just a month away.