Nationally,Cong wants to go solo,not as UPA

“We do not have an alliance at the national level. We have alliance partners and seat adjustments at the state level,” he said. Rahul Gandhi reportedly said at the CWC meeting that there should be different yardsticks for alliances in different states depending on the strength of the Congress in these states.

This comes barely a week after the NCP,which has been in favour of the UPA contesting together in the election,demanded a meeting of the UPA coordination committee to discuss seat-sharing arrangements. NCP general secretary D P Tripathi had said — after his party’s working committee meeting last week — that since UPA partners were together in the government,an attempt should be made to contest the election together.

But the Congress argues that with the UPA ceasing to exist with the end of this government,it opens the door for it to hunt for new regional allies depending on the post-poll scenario. The decision not to have any national alliance also gives the Congress some leverage in dealing with allies like the NCP,which staked claim on 45 seats spread over different states,and the SP,which wants an alliance with the Congress in several states. Also,the NCP’s talk of reaching out to the Left and floating Sharad Pawar’s name as a possible Prime Ministerial candidate have been heard loud and clear in the Congress.

Dwivedi denied that the UPA was disintegrating. “Of course,there is UPA. But UPA does not fight elections. It is the political parties in UPA which contest elections,” he said adding that seat sharing will differ from state to state. “The state leadership will keep in view the local situation and the state level party and take a decision with the support of the AICC,” he said adding,“The Congress will seek votes on its own,except where it is in alliance”.

Samajwadi Party’s tie-up with rebel BJP leader Kalyan Singh came up for discussion at the CWC with many members recommending a “wait-and-watch” policy before formalizing an alliance with the SP. They were of the view that the SP’s alliance with the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister,during whose regime the Babri Masjid was demolished — Kalyan was imprisoned for contempt of court — has not gone down well with the Muslim community and the Congress should,therefore,carefully assess the impact. Congress President Sonia Gandhi will,however,take a final call on this issue.

Representation of youth was also the buzzword at the CWC meeting as Rahul Gandhi proposed to give 30 per cent of the “tough seats”,where the party has been losing,to the youth.

At the meeting,External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee gave a broad outline of the draft manifesto of the party for Lok Sabha election. Many CWC members were of the opinion that the manifesto — the present draft exceeds 100 pages — should be condensed into a a crisper version and should focus on UPA’s achievements and its agenda for the next five years.

NCP,SP,DMK not amused,RJD,LJP play along

• NCP gen secy D P Tripathi: “This shows the Congress does not understand the logic,essence and functions of coalition dharma. We wanted Cong to emerge stronger but it’s weakening its own chances.”

• Mohan Singh,senior SP leader: “We demanded seat-sharing at the national level but they rejected it.”

• Raghuvansh Prasad Singh,RJD Vice-President: “What’s wrong? Every party cannot have the same manifesto. We have a CMP after the polls.”

• T K S Elangovan,DMK organizational secretary: “Don’t know what made the Congress take this decision. We are in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry where the alliance will continue.

• Abdul Khaliq,LJP gen secy: “It’s the best and practical solution. Cong can’t afford to leave seats for allies in all the states.”