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Congress, BJP gearing up for Lok Sabha elections

	September 08, 2008

Major political formations in the country including the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the emerging Left-Third Front combine are gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections, which have to be held by May next year in any case, but may come earlier, depending upon how the nuclear deal and the inflation factor turn out.





Congress, Samajwadi Party open talks on UP alliance



After several informal meetings at various levels, the Congress and its new-found ally, the Samajwadi Party, began a seat-sharing dialogue for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, Sept. 1. Both sides were optimistic after the meeting and said that they would try to conclude the process later this month.



The erstwhile bitter rivals in Uttar Pradesh politics had turned allies to save the Manmohan Singh Government after the Left withdrew support to the UPA.



The two sides began the talks seat by seat. While Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi led the discussion for his party, the Samajwadi Party was represented by Amar Singh and Ram Gopal Yadav. Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Rita Bahuguna Joshi also took part in the talks.



The first round of negotiations reportedly went off smoothly. Digvijay Singh later said the SP attitude was very positive. Significantly instead of bargaining for their respective share of seats, the two sides discussed a suitable candidate for each constituency. Digvijay Singh said the best candidates will be picked up keeping in mind that winnability is the only criterion.





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Samajwadi Party may not yield much to Congress



While both sides said that the first round of their discussions was positive, the Samajwadi Party indicated later that it is not going to yield much to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. The party also wanted to have a tie-up with the Congress in states other than Uttar Pradesh.



Addressing a news conference in New Delhi on Sept. 5. Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh said that his party can concede only a dozen odd Lok Sabha seats of the total 80 in Uttar Pradesh. He said the Congress can stake claim to only 12 seats on the basis of its performance in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, when the party had won nine seats to end up as the fourth party in Uttar Pradesh as against the Samajwadi Party’s 39 seats.



Repeating his party’s pitch for a seat-sharing alliance with the Congress in other states, Amar Singh said the Samajwadi Party has sought a few seats and a junior partner status in other states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, drawing a parallel between the Congress condition in Uttar Pradesh with the Samajwadi Party’s plight in these states.



Shooting down Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s “friendly fight” suggestion in a few constituencies claimed by both sides, Amar Singh said: “In such an eventuality, there can be friendly fights in 78 seats.” The party has said that it will then leave only Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi’s seats to the Congress.



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BJP gets an ally in Assam



On its part, the BJP on Sept.4 formally announced its decision to join hands with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam to take on the Congress there. Former BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu said in New Delhi “We have decided in principle to forge an alliance with the AGP to form a formidable anti-Congress combine in Assam.”



Observers say that the decision is likely to be followed up by the BJP having similar alliances in other states, in Haryana with the Indian National Lok Dal, or Kuldip Bishnoi’s Haryana Janhit Congress, in Tamil Nadu with Jayalalithaa’s All India Anna DMK and in Uttar Pradesh, with Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal.



The BJP core group at its meeting in New Delhi was informed by party leaders from Assam that they had received a resolution passed by the Asom Gana Parishad seeking a pre-poll tie up with the BJP.



Another meeting of the core group is likely to be held after the BJP’s national executive meeting in Bangalore from Sept. 12 to 14. Apart from the candidates’ selection exercise, the core group will also consider alliances in states like Uttar Pradesh and Orissa.





Deve Gowda for Mayawati as head of Third Front



Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda has said that the third front would take shape before the next Lok Sabha elections. Speaking in Lucknow on Monday, Sept. 1, he said parties opposed to the policies of the Congress and the BJP have no option, but to come together on a common platform. He said a political alternative is a certainty before the general elections.



Addressing a regional convention of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Janata Dal(Secular), Deve Gowda lauded Bahujan Samaj Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for giving a stable government after a gap of 17 years. He said that he would extend full support to Mayawati for the Third Front’s top post. Speaking to mediapersons, Deve Gowda said: “I will stand by Mayawati if she becomes the leader of the Third Front. I have no reservations and I also do not dream of become the Prime Minister once again.”





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Congress top brass in favour of elections by year-end



There are reports that many top leaders of the Congress, reportedly including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, favour going in for general elections in November-December, or latest by Feb. next year. Party president Sonia Gandhi, however, has not taken a final call in this regard, reports say.



The biggest factor in determining the time-table for the election is inflation. As inflation has shown signs of stabilising during the last few weeks, the party president and her managers are now contemplating holding early elections.



In all her meetings with the party general secretaries during the past one month, Sonia Gandhi has categorically asked her managers to prepare for the polls.



After presenting a please-all general Budget in February, the Congress was mainly waiting for the soaring rates of inflation to come down. Many of the party managers, including Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, had conveyed to Gandhi that the season’s bumper harvest will help to curb prices.



Food prices are under control and international crude prices too have started to decline. These factors are giving renewed confidence to the Congress brass to go in for an early election.



However, while a section of the party favours advancing the Lok Sabha elections to November or December, the allies, especially RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, are against the idea.



Yadav and other ministers like Ram Vilas Paswan, the Union Steel Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief, are looking for some more time to salvage their positions.



The two leaders also need time to forge an alliance in Bihar.



At least five states - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Mizoram - will go for polls during November and December. Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are also due.



The final authority to decide on the election dates is the Election Commission (EC) and if it has its way, then the Lok Sabha polls would be held in April-May. However, if the government wants to prepone the elections, then the PM can dissolve the Lok Sabha and force the EC to prepone the polls.



The EC will take into consideration the revision of voters list, dates of festivals and school and college exams and climatic conditions before it decides on the dates. It generally keeps a 45-day gap between the announcement of the schedule and the first phase of polling.



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Congress leaders put up a united show in Punjab



After a lot of factional fighting, the Congress put up a united show of strength at Lambi in Muktsar district on Monday, Sept, 1 when former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh virtually sounded the bugle for the party’s campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Party rank and file vied with each other to felicitate him at the rally. Party leaders said that Lambi had been chosen deliberately to kick off the Congress poll campaign as it is represented by Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal of the Akali Dal in the State Assembly.



Union Culture and Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said that she had been sent by party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime minister Manmohan Singh to assess the situation. She said that the public response was far beyond her expectations.



In his speech, Capt. Amarinder Singh, who was recently appointed chairman of the party’s campaign committee in the state, expressed confidence that the Congress would sweep the coming Lok Sabha elections in the state. He said since the Akali-BJP government was formed 41 Congress workers had been murdered in the state. Leader of the opposition in the State Assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal compared the present regime in the state to Ravan raj.





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Punjab Congress wants Manmohan to take on Sidhu



There are reports that Punjab Congress wants to put up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Amritsar constituency in the next Lok Sabha elections. The party feels that only somebody of the stature of Dr. Manmohan Singh can wrest the seat from Sidhu.



A party delegation led by PPCC president Mohinder Kaypee and Leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, which met the Prime Minister on Tuesday, Sept. 2, extended an invitation to him to contest the next parliamentary elections from his home state.



The delegation was meeting Singh to submit a memorandum seeking adequate flood relief for the state.



“Yes we have requested the Prime Minister to contest from Amritsar in the next elections. He will let us know once he makes up his mind,” Kaypee told a newspaper.



Asked if Manmohan Singh would be able to match the charismatic Sidhu in the poll arena, Kaypee said the party felt it would be a cakewalk for Manmohan Singh in the Amritsar constituency.



The constituency was a Congress bastion till 2004, when a political greenhorn Sidhu was fielded by the BJP from the seat to take on the then sitting MP and present Bihar Governor R.L.Bhatia. He clinched the seat by a margin of over 1.11 lakh votes.