Unease in Cong over delay in firming up alliances

Unease is growing in Congress over delay in arriving at alliances in various states is growing.
A section of the party leaders feel that A K Antony led Committee on alliances should have arrived at some broad decision about the issue by October last itself.
Alliances either with SP or BSP in Uttar Pradesh, DMK or AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and a Congress-RJD-LJP alliance would have made a difference of 60 to 70 seats for UPA, a party leader speaking on the condition of anonymity said.
A section in the party was pressing for an alliance with BSP in Uttar Pradesh to stop BJP in its tracks in the Hindi heartland and was contending that it would have had a multiplier effect in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Uttar Pradesh (80), Bihar (40) and Tamil Nadu with Puducherry (39+1) seats accounted for 160 of 543 Parliamentary seats in the country.
Congress general secretary Madhusudan Mistry yesterday announced a tie-up with Ajit Singh's RLD an Mahan Dal in western UP while Congress' alliance with RJD was announced in Patna but not before Paswan's party LJP walked into the BJP.

Announcing his decision for a tie-up with BJP, Paswan had said that he had to take the steo as Congress did not appear serious in sewing up a secular alliance in Bihar.
AIADMK-Left relations recently soured over seat sharing. Her party was warming up to Congress more than a year ago when DMK was still an ally of UPA.

DMK left UPA early last year and yesterday it closed the doors for Congress barring a last-minute U-turn, announcing candidates for the 35 seats it would contest in the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Virtually friendless in Tamil Nadu, Congress today said it would be going it alone in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.