Congress bats for strategic alliances to counter BJP in 2019

Congress, which was keen to present Assembly polls as a 3:2 match, had to be content with 1:4

Strategic alliances, rather than building up a national narrative against the Bharatiya Janata Party should be the focus of the Congress, ahead of the 2019 general elections, party strategists feel.

The Congress, which was keen to present the recent five Assembly polls as a 3:2 match, had to be content with 1:4 after the BJP manipulated smaller parties to form governments in Goa and Manipur. Rahul Gandhi has charged the saffron party of using money power to block the Congress from coming to power in the two states.

After veteran Mani Shankar Aiyar suggested going back to the 2003 formula