Pact with SP the last tango for UP Cong?

Lucknow: The two-day marathon between the SP and Congress to finalise the contentious seat-sharing issue has left UP Congressmen nervous and edgy. Reports received so far are far from satisfactory . SP, going by the accounts , is playing the big boss while Congress has been reduced to a meek second fiddle . And even as the party bigwigs are yet to arrive at what Digvijay Singh called "a pragmatic , realistic and honourable deal for both" , Congressmen are left wondering just how.

To begin with, the ideological turnaround has been too sudden to stomach for an average party man. Though the relationship between the two had thawed considerably by February, till as late as June, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi had firmly ruled out the possibility of any tie up. Rahul had only repeated the gist of the Anthony committee report which had listed going it alone as the most favoured strategy for the coming parliamentary polls.

The plan obviously went haywire with trust vote drama unfolding in Delhi. As "pragmatism took precedence over principled politics" , UPCC president put up a brave front and vowed that party would contest at least 35 to 40 seats.

Though they will have an extensive list of candidates for all 80 seats, she assured.

However, with the passage of time as SP leader began their bout of muscle-flexing , her bravado is giving way. Joshi very well knows she is pitted against hard bargainers who would want to wrest away a yard. This to the partymen in UP is a scary prospect.

There are many grey areas that pose a tough challenge . First, the suspense over numbers -how many seats fall in Congress kitty-question still has no answers. Sources doubt if Mulayam and co. will offer anything beyond 20 or 25.

With Ajit Singh lurking in the background poised to jump into the Congress bandwagon at the right moment, the tally could slip further. Chaudhary will demand at least eight seats, confide RLD sources. Moreover, there are other UPA constituents who may demand their pound of flesh not forgetting pocket-sized outfits like Apna Dal or the Rajesh Tikait's fledgling party. This in reality will mean no "jhanda banner" in 50 constituencies , said a disgruntled leader. So far Congress was the only political party which claimed to have a presence all over the state with the selective contest, we are ensuring that whatever grassroots cadre was left with the party would also vanish within no time, he said. In fact, the state leadership is already having a tough time trying to quell the apprehension of the demoralised cadre who fear the party is nearing extinction, said sources.

Then there is the tickling issue of seats - Pratapgarh, Farukhabad, Padrauna, Rampur, Lalitpur, Varansi, Allahabad - that are eyed by both. Congress has the list of winnable candidates including Ratna Singh, Salman Khurshid, Begum Noor Bano and even Rita Bahuguna Joshi all ready, the SP is no mood to surrender the captured ground.

Laloo Yadav had called Mulayam Singh "vote katva" for nothing, said a senior leader on Tuesday. "While the number in the Parliament may go from single digit to double, the tango, he said, would cost the party dearly in long run.

However, having forfeited deposits in 48 seats during the last election in 2004, this could also be the only life line.

Source : Times Of India