Congress to set up group on alliances: Rahul

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that a group will be formed to take a call on alliances in the run-up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"We are setting up a group to do it," Gandhi told reporters after a meeting of Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision making body, which authorised him to decide on pre and post-poll alliances.

The party's decision is being seen as an unambigious message to all present and potential allies that he will take all crucial decisions for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls including on seat sharing.

Some leaders, including Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, are learnt to have more comfort level in interacting with Rahul Gand'i's mother Sonia Gandhi, who is UPA chairperson.

Sonia Gandhi had hosted a dinner for like-minded opposition parties in March this year to explore the possibility of forging a broader unity. Earlier, she had taken the initiative to bring senior opposition leaders together to put up a common candidate in Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections.

On the other hand, the Iftar he hosted was skipped by most opposition stalwarts.

The CWC decision is being seen as an indication that Rahul Gandhi should emerge as the face of larger opposition in the 2019 electoral battle.

Alliances are crucial for the Congress to defeat the BJP, which won a majority on its own in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and has since won several state assembly polls.

While Congress has a direct contest with BJP in several states, it has a difficult choice in forging alliances in some others, like West Bengal, where it state unit is divided on whether it should ally with the Trinamool Congress or the Left parties.

Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said that her party would like to win all 42 seats, leaving little scope for a tie-up, but not aligning with her will have its own implications as she is emerging as pivot for a Federal Front.

Then in Uttar Pradesh, where the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party have talked of an alliance, the Congress may be left with very few seats.

Sonia Gandhi had deftly forged alliances before the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and had ousted the BJP-led NDA in an unexpected outcome.

--IANS

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