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Congress-Samajwadi Party talks on seat sharing face fresh hurdles |
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The Congress-Samajwadi Party seat sharing talks for the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are facing fresh hurdles. The talks have virtually hit a wall in Madhya Pradesh. In Uttar Pradesh also, there could be trouble.
Accusing the Congress of betrayal and nudging “defection” in the state unit of the SP in Madhya Pradesh, party general secre¬tary Amar Singh on Tuesday, September 16, ruled out any truck with the Congress in MP.
He warned that the move could affect the seat-negotiation talks in UP and the party could pay back its ally in the same coin by opening its doors to any Congress rebel in the state.
Amar Singh’s outburst came in the wake of recent resigna¬tions of four SP MLAs. Indications are that these legislators would join the Congress and might get party tickets.
Congress general secretary and former Chief Minister of MP Digvijay Singh, however, said that these MLAs had independently decided to quit the SP and had not joined the Congress so far. “Where is the question of betrayal?’’ he asked.
As for the ongoing talks on UP, the Congress leader said the party would shortly write to SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav list¬ing the parliamentary seats it wants to contest in the state.
According to Digvijay Singh, an agreement on half of the total number of the state’s 80 parliamentary seats has already been reached. “We need to arrive at a settlement on the remain¬ing 40 seats,’’ he said.
If there is no resolution, the top leaders of the two par¬ties would hammer out a solution of the issue, Singh added. But he refused to give the break up of the seats on which an under¬standing has been reached.
DMK, Congress discussing power-sharing
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M. Karunanidhi has said that discussions are underway with the Congress leader¬ship to form a power sharing coalition in the State. Addressing mediapersons in Chennai on September 14 he said: “The highest levels of leadership of both the parties will decide on the issue.”
This is the first sign of the Chief Minister’s climb down since the DMK came to power in 2006.
A section within the Congress has been expressing dissatis¬faction over Karunanidhi’s refusal to share power in the State.
Karnunanidhi’s indication of a coalition triggered a number of parleys within the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.
A former central minister belonging to the party said this is a welcome development that will bring the two parties closer.
“After losing power to the DMK in 1967, if we have a stake in the Government when the same party is in power it is the first sign of the return of Kamaraj rule,” the former Minister said.
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