Congress keeps all options open for post-poll allies

By IANS,

New Delhi: Amid indications of a fractured mandate, the Congress is keeping all options on alliance open, counting out only the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, party leaders said here Thursday.


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Asked if the party was talking with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for a post-poll alliance, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh only said: “We hold two political parties as entirely communal – BJP and Shiv Sena.”

The BSP, which rules Uttar Pradesh, is aligned with the Third Front, which aims to form a non-BJP-non-Congress government. BSP chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is considered among the aspirants for the post of prime minister.

The Congress has also been trying to patch up with its estranged ally Samajwadi Party (SP), the BSP’s arch rival.

Asked if the party would have an alliance with SP, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “The Samajwadi Party is not enemy of the Congress.”

He also didn’t rule out the possibility of tying up with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which is not part of any national alliance but has an Orissa-specific understanding with the Left parties.

“I can neither confirm nor deny,” Singhvi said when asked if talks were on with BJD.

The Lok Sabha results will be announced Saturday. Exit polls see no party or alliance getting a majority.

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