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| Sonia Gandhi enters into picture | | Congress labours to woo allies in UPCongress labours to woo allies in UP | | NEW DELHI, MAR 13
Sonia Gandhi is under pressure to work overtime as the crucial Assembly polls in equally crucial State of Uttar Pradesh (UP) are round the corner. Since the Congress party is not able enough to go alone in the poll arena, Sonia is left with no option but to engage potential allies to break the existing deadlock in UP.
Sonia has entered into the picture following failure of talks with potential allies to evolve an acceptable formula over sharing of seats in UP. The process of filing nominations has just got underway for the first of the seven-phased polling to elect the new 403-member UP Legislative Assembly.
Talks came to a halt last week with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Ajit Singh insisting on contesting at least 140 seats. The Congress leadership was not keen on parting with more than 40 seats. The Congress leadership is under pressure to carry along with allies in India's most populous State after allies squarely blamed it for twin victories of the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies in Punjab and Uttarakhand in the just-concluded Assemly polls. Congress party lost power in both States after failing to accommodate aspirations of its allies and going to polls on its own.
The BJP has set in motion the process by agreeing to go to the crucial Uttar Pradesh elections under the banner of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) by finalising seat sharing talks with allies Janata Dal (United) and regional Apna Dal.
The Congress party heads the 11-party United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre. UP Congress leadership is not in favour of forging alliance. But Ajit Singh has put the Congress high command in a bind by making what has been gtermed as "unreasonable" demands even in areas his party has no presence.
A total of 62 constituencies, mainly in southern parts of the state, are going to polls in the first phase on April 7. |
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