NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
The Congress party is unsure of the stance to be adopted on the Samajwadi Party's request for support to dislodge the Bahujan Samaj Party-Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh.
In the 403-member house, the SP has 142 MLAs, BSP 99, BJP 88 and Congress 25.
The BSP-BJP coalition government is supported by smaller parties and some independents.
With the recent cabinet expansion having sparked off discontent in the BJP, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is making a desperate bid to cobble up an alliance by splitting the BJP.
The hitch - Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's reluctance to support his bid. Without Congress support, the SP would not be able to form an alternative government.
It would seem convenient for the Congress to support the SP in UP in exchange for a similar arrangement in Gujarat to dislodge the BJP in the forthcoming assembly election.
Antagonising Yadav now may mean having to deal with a large number of minority candidates in the 182 seats in Gujarat.
However, the grassroots Congress worker in UP is firmly against any truck with the SP.
"If we support the SP, we would be demoralising our own workers who had come out in large numbers and shown tremendous enthusiasm during Congress president Sonia Gandhi's recent visit to UP," a Congress leader told rediff.com.
Congress leaders believe the SP is gradually becoming irrelevant as a political force having failed to stop the BJP from being in power for the third time in a row.
The minorities have now begun thinking of the Congress as an alternative to the SP, they believe.
"If we revive a force, which enjoys a common constituency with the Congress, we would only be digging our own grave," a CWC member pointed out.
Congressmen predict a bright future for the party. They expect to benefit from the anti-incumbency factor in the next election and attract the upper caste votes.
Even the Muslim voters, who are with the SP, may turn to the Congress, they believe.
Besides, the Congress would not like to needlessly annoy the dalits, once its loyal supporters but now the backbone of the BSP. The party hopes to win back their support before the next Lok Sabha elections.
Under the circumstances, they believe, an alliance with the SP at this stage would not be in the party's interests.
Hence, the party is taking its own time thinking over Mulayam Singh's proposal to topple the BSP-BJP government.
"The Congress has not taken any decision as yet on UP. The issue has not been discussed at any level within the party," CWC member and party's general secretary in-charge of UP Motilal Vohra told rediff.com.
Another party general secretary and confidante of Sonia Gandhi, Ambika Soni told newspersons, "Sonia is actively discussing the issue with the party activists from UP and CWC members. We are collecting feedback from the state. Only after we gather sufficient feedback would we be able to take a decision."
But Soni indicated the thinking in the party when she pointed out that since the announcement of the poll dates the party was 'attaching more emphasis to Gujarat'.
RELATED REPORT No talks with BJP central leadership till suspensions revoked: dissidents
ALSO READ Suspended BJP MLA sets conditions for talks Sonia gives 'patient hearing' to Mulayam and co Eight independents withdraw support to Mayawati govt Sonia-Mulayam meeting on Sunday evening SP, Congress MLAs willing to support us: BJP Amar Singh holds talks with Congress leaders No need to convene assembly: UP Governor Fifteen BSP legislators willing to revolt: Mulayam Rebel BJP legislators not interested in meeting PM The Election in UP: The Complete Coverage
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
