(1888PressRelease)
March 03, 2007 - New Delhi, Feb 26: In a significant move that could be of far-reaching implications and lead to the realignment of political forces ahead of crucial assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has plans to float a third front under its leadership to further cornor Samajadi party and avert the possible split in the secular votes.
According to highly placed sources the party is in talks with the leaders of Jan Morcha, Rastriya Lok Dal, Apna Dal and a few smaller parties of eastern part of Uttar Pradesh where Mulayam Singh's party faired well in last assembly elections. The Congress has also planned to offer the Left parties to join the what it said the largest alliance of political parties.
There is a possibility of Left parties particularly CPI joining this multi-party coalition because the party has already lamented the SP-led government for its misrule. A senior CPI leader from Uttar Pradesh Atul Kumar Anjan told this correspondent the party sees no harm in joining the larger secular alliance even if Congress is in to defeat both the communal BJP and the misrule of Samajwadi Party.
Similarly, the CPI (M) has also not shown any keen interest in aligning with SP. Senior party leader Sitaram Yechuri has already turned Amar Singh's offer to have electoral understanding with SP on the ground that his party has not yet taken any decision on to with which it would go. The Congress is contemplating to use the influence of former Prime Minister V P Singh on CPI (M) and other Left parties as he has very good relations with them and the Leftists hold him in high esteem.
The strategy behind having larger alliance of parties in the state is ensure that in all three parts of the state SP and BJP could be checked. This larger alliance, which would be named shortly, might have an undisclosed electoral adjustment with BSP so as to further check Mulayam. The sources in the Congress do not rule out such possibilities. "We would like all parties barring SP, with secular credentials to come under an umbrella to defeat both BJP and SP," said a Congress Working Committee member.
The parleys to bring such an alliance into existence would beging this week-end after a formal meeting of the CWC members and the state leaders with the Congress President in a day or two. Meanwhile, V P Singh is engaged in talks with smaller parties of eastern Uttar Pradesh. He is confident that Apna Dal, which has earlier announced to fight the assembly polls with JD (U) to bring on board with him.
The idea is to rope in all smaller political forces in the state like RLD of Ajit Singh may help Congress to check SP in western part of the state and V P Singh with his clout in central and eastern UP could with the clandestine support of BSP and Congress cut the large chunk of SP and BJP votes.
During the last Lok Sabha and assembly elections, Congress had don well in eastern and central parts of the state and most of its assembly and Lok Sabha seats had come from these two parts.
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