 "Rahul Gandhi sends caution message to ally NCP")
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi today made it clear the party would continue its alliance in Maharashtra with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) but also said it (Congress) “would bend only to a limit.”
In his interaction with Congress members of the Parliament (MPs) from Maharashtra today at Parliament premises, Gandhi assured concerned partymen that the organisation at the grassroots would not suffer at the cost of the alliance with its coalition partner. Gandhi said he was working to revamp the state party organisation before the polls.
Senior Maharashtra Congress MPs like Vilas Muttemwar, Gurudas Kamat, Murli Deora and Jayantrao Awale had expressed concern that the NCP was expanding its base in several places at the cost of the local Congress and that the party could not trust the NCP as its chief, Sharad Pawar, is known to spring a surprise at the last moment.
The volatile issue had also figured prominently during Gandhi’s visit to Mumbai two weeks ago, when nearly half the state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) was in favour of discontinuing its alliance with the NCP and going it alone in the coming polls.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress had won 17 seats and NCP eight in the state having 48 seats. In the assembly polls later, the Congress had secured 82 seats and the NCP 62 in the 288-member assembly. Assembly polls are due in Maharashtra in the latter part of 2013.
Speaking to <I>Business Standard </I>soon after the Congress vice-president’s meeting today, NCP spokesperson D P Tripathi dismissed all talk of any tension between the two parties. “Our alliance is as strong as ever,” said a smiling Tripathi.
NCP to fight polls with Congress
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has announced that his party would fight the Maharashtra Assembly and Lok Sabha polls next year with the Congress, rather than go solo. “Our party chief has made it clear that the next elections will be fought in an alliance with the Congress. This will disappoint the Opposition in Maharashtra,” state NCP chief Madhukar Pichad told Business Standard. With his decision, Pawar has snubbed his party leaders who were demanding that the NCP contest alone. Pawar’s timing is crucial as Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi is currently involved in rapport-building exercises with UPA allies and is also exploring options to bring new allies on board, ahead of the elections. Pawar chose to declare the continuation of his party’s alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra just days after Raj Thackeray announced that his party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, would fight the next general elections alone.
The NCP acknoledges that it simply cannot dump the the Congress as it needs the party’s association more.
“The Congress is a national party, with a presence in almost all sections of society,” an NCP minister, who did not want to be identified, told Business Standard. “It will be easier for the NCP to make inroads and increase its presence if the alliance continues. If the party decides to go solo, it will be suicidal as the Congress and the Opposition will not leave any opportunity to expose the party and its ministers for their involvement in scams and corruption cases. This will be too damaging for Pawar and the NCP in general.”
The Congress has indicated that it was not interested in going solo in the elections and would rather keep the alliance with the NCP in tact. “The alliance between the Congress and the NCP will remain in place. The ultimate decision in this regard will be taken by the party high command,” said state Congress President Manikrao Thakre.
In his interaction with Congress members of the Parliament (MPs) from Maharashtra today at Parliament premises, Gandhi assured concerned partymen that the organisation at the grassroots would not suffer at the cost of the alliance with its coalition partner. Gandhi said he was working to revamp the state party organisation before the polls.
Senior Maharashtra Congress MPs like Vilas Muttemwar, Gurudas Kamat, Murli Deora and Jayantrao Awale had expressed concern that the NCP was expanding its base in several places at the cost of the local Congress and that the party could not trust the NCP as its chief, Sharad Pawar, is known to spring a surprise at the last moment.
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Gandhi’s comments come at a time when many in the NCP have called for contesting the assembly polls alone. In turn, several Maharashtra Congress MPs like Rajani Patil have advocated that the Congress go it alone.
The volatile issue had also figured prominently during Gandhi’s visit to Mumbai two weeks ago, when nearly half the state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) was in favour of discontinuing its alliance with the NCP and going it alone in the coming polls.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress had won 17 seats and NCP eight in the state having 48 seats. In the assembly polls later, the Congress had secured 82 seats and the NCP 62 in the 288-member assembly. Assembly polls are due in Maharashtra in the latter part of 2013.
Speaking to <I>Business Standard </I>soon after the Congress vice-president’s meeting today, NCP spokesperson D P Tripathi dismissed all talk of any tension between the two parties. “Our alliance is as strong as ever,” said a smiling Tripathi.
NCP to fight polls with Congress
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has announced that his party would fight the Maharashtra Assembly and Lok Sabha polls next year with the Congress, rather than go solo. “Our party chief has made it clear that the next elections will be fought in an alliance with the Congress. This will disappoint the Opposition in Maharashtra,” state NCP chief Madhukar Pichad told Business Standard. With his decision, Pawar has snubbed his party leaders who were demanding that the NCP contest alone. Pawar’s timing is crucial as Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi is currently involved in rapport-building exercises with UPA allies and is also exploring options to bring new allies on board, ahead of the elections. Pawar chose to declare the continuation of his party’s alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra just days after Raj Thackeray announced that his party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, would fight the next general elections alone.
The NCP acknoledges that it simply cannot dump the the Congress as it needs the party’s association more.
“The Congress is a national party, with a presence in almost all sections of society,” an NCP minister, who did not want to be identified, told Business Standard. “It will be easier for the NCP to make inroads and increase its presence if the alliance continues. If the party decides to go solo, it will be suicidal as the Congress and the Opposition will not leave any opportunity to expose the party and its ministers for their involvement in scams and corruption cases. This will be too damaging for Pawar and the NCP in general.”
The Congress has indicated that it was not interested in going solo in the elections and would rather keep the alliance with the NCP in tact. “The alliance between the Congress and the NCP will remain in place. The ultimate decision in this regard will be taken by the party high command,” said state Congress President Manikrao Thakre.