In a move to avoid pressure from regional allies seeking seats in several states, Congress ruled out a national alliance in the coming Lok Sabha elections and limiting adjustments to state-level.
‘‘We do not have an alliance at the national level. We have alliance partners and seat adjustments at the state-level...’’ AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told newsmen after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee. The stand assumes significance in the context of allies like NCP, Paswan-led LJSP and SP, making demands for seats outside the states of their main influence. Dwivedi said,‘‘alliance is basically a game of numbers. It depends on who gets how many seats. This will be clear only after the elections’’.‘‘Hypothetically speaking if the Congress gets absolute majority, the situation will be different,’’ he added. To a volley of questions whether the UPA was disintegrating, he said,‘‘Of course, there is UPA. But UPA does not fight elections. It is the constituents of UPA which contest elections’’.
The general secretary said that seat sharing would differ from state to state.‘‘The state leadership (of Congress) will monitor the local situation and the state-level party (ally) and take a decision with the support of the AICC,’’ he added. Dwivedi said,‘‘Congress will seek votes on its own, except where it is in alliance’’. In those states, where the party has entered into an alliance, it would seek the votes for its alliance partners also, the Congress leader said. In her opening remarks, party president Sonia Gandhi spoke about the coming general elections and the preparations being made by the party to face them. She also wished PM Manmohan Singh, who is recuperating in AIIMS after a coronary by-pass surgery, a speedy recovery on behalf of the CWC. Sources said Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was of the view that coalition now-a-days is a compulsion and not an option.
Senior leaders like K Karunakaran and N Janardhan Reddy underlined the need for granting more tickets to youth even as Gandhi said that deserving youth should be given party nomination but not by depriving other important sec tions, they said.
‘‘We do not have an alliance at the national level. We have alliance partners and seat adjustments at the state-level...’’ AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told newsmen after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee. The stand assumes significance in the context of allies like NCP, Paswan-led LJSP and SP, making demands for seats outside the states of their main influence. Dwivedi said,‘‘alliance is basically a game of numbers. It depends on who gets how many seats. This will be clear only after the elections’’.‘‘Hypothetically speaking if the Congress gets absolute majority, the situation will be different,’’ he added. To a volley of questions whether the UPA was disintegrating, he said,‘‘Of course, there is UPA. But UPA does not fight elections. It is the constituents of UPA which contest elections’’.
The general secretary said that seat sharing would differ from state to state.‘‘The state leadership (of Congress) will monitor the local situation and the state-level party (ally) and take a decision with the support of the AICC,’’ he added. Dwivedi said,‘‘Congress will seek votes on its own, except where it is in alliance’’. In those states, where the party has entered into an alliance, it would seek the votes for its alliance partners also, the Congress leader said. In her opening remarks, party president Sonia Gandhi spoke about the coming general elections and the preparations being made by the party to face them. She also wished PM Manmohan Singh, who is recuperating in AIIMS after a coronary by-pass surgery, a speedy recovery on behalf of the CWC. Sources said Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was of the view that coalition now-a-days is a compulsion and not an option.
Senior leaders like K Karunakaran and N Janardhan Reddy underlined the need for granting more tickets to youth even as Gandhi said that deserving youth should be given party nomination but not by depriving other important sec tions, they said.
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