NEW DELHI: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has instructed all state units to prepare for the 2019 general elections and to identify potential candidates for all the seats so that the party remains prepared in the likelihood of alliances not working out in some key states.
Congress managers have been saying that there will be no national blue print for alliances and such pacts will be tailored according to the ground situation in a state. Sources say the shift in strategy comes amidst some tough bargaining by allies such as the BSP for the Madhya Pradesh elections and the NCP in Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha elections.
Regional players BSP and SP are busy hammering out a seat-sharing pact for 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, leaving little scope for the Congress. The NCP too wants a larger share of the total 48 seats in Maharashtra.The situation is similar in Bihar (40 seats) where the RJD is the dominant player and may not like to part with too many seats for the Congress.
“The states were asked to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls. They will also identify the potential candidates,” a senior AICC functionary told The Sunday Standard.
Recently, NCP boss Sharad Pawar hinted that chances of a grand opposition alliance post-poll looked brighter than ahead of the general elections. In such a situation, the opposition parties may fight lone battles against an aggressive BJP.
The tricky part, say the Congress managers, is that all these regional players made the right noises over the past few weeks on staying together but appear to be in a wait and watch mode as the Lok Sabha elections are still 10 months away. “That is a technicality. Broad understanding on seat-sharing should be finalised by year end. Given the dilly dallying approach of the regional parties, we must not lose sight of our own larger goals and be ready to fight the BJP,” a Congress strategist asserted.
This strategy is backed by some sections of the Congress who are pushing for a go-alone line but often silenced by the pragmatic group which favours pre-poll pacts.