Cong still hopeful of tie-up with BSP in MP

New Delhi: Caught off-guard by the BSP's announcement of a pre-poll tie-up with Ajit Jogi in Chhatisgarh, Congress leaders were still hopeful of salvaging the situation in Madhya Pradesh and other states.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi chose to describe the BSP joining hands with Jogi's outfit as an “evolving situation limited to Chhatisgarh” and insisted that the last word was yet to be said on the grand alliance to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections next year.

“Each of these adjustments are completely state-specific. What applies to Chhattisgarh does not apply to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh,” Singhvi said and pointed out that the BSP had won only one seat in Chhattisgarh in 2013 Assembly polls.

A section of the Congress leaders were of the view that by announcing a pre-poll alliance in a “relatively insignificant” state such as Chhatisgarh, the BSP supremo was simply playing a tough bargainer for seat-sharing in other states.

“Mayawati wants to be seen as a national leader and not limited to Uttar Pradesh. Clearly, she was to expand her party's foot print which may prove beneficial in the Lok Sabha polls,” a senior leader said.

On Thursday, Mayawati and Jogi announced a pre-poll alliance for Chhatisgarh under which the BSP would contest 35 seats and leave the balance 55 for Jogi's Janata Congress Chhatisgarh (JCC).

The BSP was in talks with the Congress leadership for a pre-poll tie up in Madhya Pradesh and had demanded 50 seats out of the total 230. The Congress was not keen of leaving such a huge number of seats for the BSP.

Another section of the Congress believed that the Chhatisgarh alliance was a result of the “arm-twisting” by the BJP over some court cases against the BSP supremo.