Congress forges alliance with National Conference in J n K, Mayawati not to contest lok Sabha poll

As the final notification for the polls have been issued by the election commission, the Congress party which was lacking behind in forming alliances in various states especially after being sidelined in the largest state of the country Uttar Pradesh by the BSP, SP n RLD trio, a conglomeration of the parties carrying behind them the concrete vote bank of minorities, backward classes and the dalits, has also expedited its efforts for state wise alliance in order to solidify the grand alliance experiment at the national level.

Without wasting further time the Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has issued directives to all its central and state leaders to forge a pre electoral alliance with the like minded anti BJP parties in order to gain the peoples’ confidence and trust n strongly n decisively defeat the saffron party led by the charismatic PM Narendra Modi whose juggernaut is speedily moving ahead cashing on the post Pulwama sentiments n Hindu polarisation strategy in the country.

Just today the Congress party’s senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad reached Srinagar and forged a pre electoral alliance with the National Conference led by Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah.

As per the arrangement, while the National conference would contest on the three seats in the Kashmir valley including on the Srinagar seat, the BJP will contest on Jammu n Udhampur seat. There are total 6 Lok Sabha parliamentary constituencies in Jammu n Kashmir.

While addressing the media after the formation of the Congress NC alliance Farooq Abdullah said that while he welcomes the Congress Party’s gesture to forge an alliance with his party to strongly protect the secular n democratic credentials in the state and the country, he would request the Congress party to form a similar credible secular n democratic alliance at the national level in order to defeat the communal forces formidably, who are creating divisivenes n hatred in the society to meet their vested political interests.

The veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the nation is today confronting a twin challenge from the enemy country Pakistan as well as from the terrorists and divisive forces in Kashmir n other parts of the country.

Forging of credible secular n democratic alliances would save the nation and Kashmir form these impending dangers.

Currently, there are four main parties in Jammu n Kashmir viz Congress, National Conference, PDP, BJP with smaller political outfits like the Pathers Party led by Bhim Singh n other smallers groups , having their limited say.

Now, after the formation of the NC Congress alliance there would be a three corned contest in Jammu n Kashmir between the NC, Congress alliance, PDP n the BJP.

The BJP n PDP formed the government in the state earlier but were separated after a year or so as both were diametrically opposite parties ideologically.

The Congress party has also formed an alliance with the RJD n left parties in Bihar. The RJD president Tejasvi Yadav, Lalu’s son, was quite confident n jubilant after the alliance with Congress and said that all is well. He said that the actual party wise seat sharing/ allocation would be revealed after holi.

Tejasvi Yadav said the grand allaince would be taking a concrete shape nationally as well n would give a strong fight to the BJP led NDA in Buhar as well as at the national level.

The pact related talks are also in progress in Delhi with AAP after the intervention of the NCP leader Sharad Pawar. Though newspaper reports are giving negative view of the pact between AAP n Congress saying that both the parties could not arrive at any understanding but the talks are still on as the Delhi Congress incharge PC Chacko is still hopeful of the pact with AAP.

Political analysts say that the pact between AAP n Congress is inevitable if both of them really want to dislodge BJP in Delhi as the saffron party’s vote bank is intact n has rather enhanced after the Pulwama developments.

In Maharashtra too the Congress and NCP have already established the pre poll alliance and are trying to rope in other Ambedkarite parties as well to entice the votes of Dalits and the backwards.

The SP BSP alliance in Maharashtra will lead to a three cornered contest between the ruling Shiva Sena combine, Congress NCP duo and the BSP SP combine.

It however remains to be seen as to which side will the party of the Ambedkarite voters go.

In Bengal however, the Congress has failed to form an alliance between TMC n Left parties, especially the CPM as both the parties want a major share leaving Congress party to a negligible position to which Congress has not agreed .

As a result the Congress party has decided to field candidates on 41 seats in West Bengal.

This unambiguously states that in Bengal too the contest would be four cornered between the TMC ( ruling party) BJP, Communists( Left Front) and the Congress.

In Karnataka, the Congress JDU alliance against the BJP is already existing where both the parties are running the government.

In Tamilnadu the Congress has formed electoral understanding with the DMK of late Karunanidhi wherebas the BJP has alligned with the AIADMK of late J. Jaylalitha.

In Jharkhand too the Congress party has alligned with a regional party and talks with pre poll arrangements with Andhra CM Chandra Babu Naidu are in progress.

However in Oddissa the Congress party will go alone giving way for a three cornered contest between Biju Janata Dal, BJP n the Congress.

Meanwhile the BSP supremo Mayawati has announced that she would not contest from any seat in UP as winning maximum seats and defeating BJP is her main objective.

Analysts say that Mayawati do not want to confine herself to one seat as she would be the star campaingner of the BSP SP RLD combine and may go elsewhere also to campaign for her parties candidates contesting in various states.