Congress open to make & break to keep Modi out

Given the two-term anti-incumbency, the Congress knows it cannot reach the 2009 figure of 206. So, it is aiming at winning 150 seats. “In 2004, we had managed to form a government with 145 seats, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t attempt to cobble a government with like-minded parties,” said a senior Congress leader.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, picked by Rahul to head the party’s election control room (ECR), has his task cut out: to bag at least 150 seats. To achieve this, Surjewala and his team have been focusing on 160 seats, closely monitoring these on a daily basis, pumping funds, if needed, coordinating activities of national leaders and candidates.

The Congress is contesting 437 seats this time. This is the highest number it is contesting since coalition governments became the order of the day.

However, others within the party stick to a more conservative figure of 100-120 seats. Nonetheless, they, too, are in agreement that even in such a situation, the Congress should look at bringing together secular parties to keep Modi out.

Although former allies like the Trinamool Congress (TMC) are very much part of the Congress’ post-poll plans, at the moment, as Union minister Jairam Ramesh says, it’s “premature” to initiate talks with TMC.

The Congress hopes with Modi playing the backward caste card, it won’t be difficult for the party to bring Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati around. Despite being pitched against each other in UP, both the Samajwadi Party and BSP have been and could be post-poll allies for the Congress.  

The Congress had in the past, through mediators like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel and Digvijaya Singh, attempted to initiate pre-poll alliance talks with TMC, the Janata Dal (United) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Despite the fact that none of these materialised, the party is not averse to try again. But there are problems, too. For instance, the Congress would find it difficult to rope in the Janata Dal (United), as it is in alliance with Lalu Prasad’s RJD in Bihar.  

Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat and other Left Front leaders had already offered unconditional support to the Congress to form a government in a post-poll scenario. Significantly, these post-poll plans will fructify only if the Congress gets a three-digit number. If it ends in two digits, it would be a different story.