Congress to go it alone as alliance hopes get dimmer
text_fields
New Delhi: The Congress, which is batting for a grand opposition coalition to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha election, however, is going to contest alone in many states. It is believed that the party has remodeled the strategy in certain states.
In Andhra Pradesh, the party has dropped the move for alliance with Telugu Desam Party which was an ally during the recent assembly elections held in Telangana. The party interprets that the alliance was of not beneficial in Telangana. AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy, who is in charge of the state unit, will gauge the common mood of the state leadership and recommend a decision accordingly.
Congress is preparing to contest in 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 legislative assembly seats alone. In fact, an alliance between TDP and Cogress is an unnatural one. It is assumed that this time TDP will suffer a huge setback in the state and an alliance with the party will prove fatal for the state Congress.
In UP, SP and BSP dumped the Congress. They reason that an alliance with Congress will not deliver any gain. The Congress, which decided to contest alone in all the 80 seats, has lately fielded Priyanka in the scenario. Rahul has made it clear that the party is not playing on the backfoot and will play front foot itself.
In Bihar, there are clashes with RJD over seat sharing. The Congress has not so far succumbed to Tejashwi Yadaw's demand to concede. RJD has asked for 27 seats of 40. Congress is asked to contest in 12 seats. If so, the remaining members of grand alliance will have no share in the alliance.
In Delhi, Aam Admi Party had initiated moves for alliance with the Congress. However, Sheila Dikshit, who is back at the helm of the party, has dismissed the chance of alliance with AAP who wiped out the grand old party from the capital territory. The Congress will contest alone in all seven seats.
Trinamool Congress is not willing to take the Congress along. The silence of Mamata Bannerjee and Mayawati over the entry of Priyanka was notable. The Congress is mulling forging an alliance with CPM in West Bengal. The alliance along those lines in the legislative assembly elections had yielded gains.
Congress is not willing for alliance with regional players in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chattisgarh and others where the main fight is between the Congress and BJP. That was what happened in the legislative assembly elections too.
