Pawar headache for Congress
Sharad Pawar met Amar Singh at the latter's residence in the Capital and is learnt to have promised to campaign for SP candidates in UP. Congress is certain to view this as a hostile act.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: In what signals more trouble for Congress, the Samajwadi Party and NCP on Tuesday decided to coordinate their strategy in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election. Sharad Pawar, who met Amar Singh at the latter���s residence in the Capital, is learnt to have promised to campaign for SP candidates in UP. Congress is certain to view this as a hostile act.
NCP, which is reluctant to accept Congress��� lead role, has been maintaining that the nature of the ruling alliance will be dictated by the next verdict. Mr Pawar, who has refused to back Congress���s ���there is no alternative to the UPA��� tune, had last week said that a realignment of forces after the polls was a distinct possibility.
On its part, NCP has also given its state units the freedom to strike local-level alliances. While in Kerala, NCP will cut into Congress���s votes, in the northeast, PK Sangma has announced that he would aid NDA candidates.
The decision of SP and NCP to encircle Congress coincided with the failure of the grand old party to wrap up a deal with PMK in Tamil Nadu. PMK is expected to severe ties with UPA on Thursday after the meeting of its general council.
In the event of PMK leaving UPA, it will enhance the electoral math of AIADMK. Congress, which was banking on Vijayakant���s support for offsetting the loss, has given up hopes about gaining the film actors backing. The shrivelling of UPA will deny Congress the ���stability vote��� that it was hoping to mop up on account of NDA���s disintegration.
But the developments in the past one week have changed the scenario with the Congress friendless in all the major states. The party���s new allies like the Trinamool Congress are not exactly mindful of the Congress interests.
What is equally worrying for Congress are the signs of turbulence in Rajasthan. Kirorilal Meena, who sponsored BJP���s meltdown in the Meena belt of Rajasthan, has threatened to contest as an independent. Although BJP is trying to win him back, Meena is in no hurry to speak his mind.
NCP, which is reluctant to accept Congress��� lead role, has been maintaining that the nature of the ruling alliance will be dictated by the next verdict. Mr Pawar, who has refused to back Congress���s ���there is no alternative to the UPA��� tune, had last week said that a realignment of forces after the polls was a distinct possibility.
On its part, NCP has also given its state units the freedom to strike local-level alliances. While in Kerala, NCP will cut into Congress���s votes, in the northeast, PK Sangma has announced that he would aid NDA candidates.
The decision of SP and NCP to encircle Congress coincided with the failure of the grand old party to wrap up a deal with PMK in Tamil Nadu. PMK is expected to severe ties with UPA on Thursday after the meeting of its general council.
In the event of PMK leaving UPA, it will enhance the electoral math of AIADMK. Congress, which was banking on Vijayakant���s support for offsetting the loss, has given up hopes about gaining the film actors backing. The shrivelling of UPA will deny Congress the ���stability vote��� that it was hoping to mop up on account of NDA���s disintegration.
But the developments in the past one week have changed the scenario with the Congress friendless in all the major states. The party���s new allies like the Trinamool Congress are not exactly mindful of the Congress interests.
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What is equally worrying for Congress are the signs of turbulence in Rajasthan. Kirorilal Meena, who sponsored BJP���s meltdown in the Meena belt of Rajasthan, has threatened to contest as an independent. Although BJP is trying to win him back, Meena is in no hurry to speak his mind.
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