It will be impossible for the Congress to form a Government after 2019 general elections all on its own: A proposition that will ultimately hurt party president Rahul Gandhi’s prime ministerial ambition, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said.
Though Gandhi cannot be wronged for nurturing prime ministerial ambition as “any leader of any political party can think so,” such ambition can materialise “only if the Congress can come to power on its own,” the Chief Minister said and added: “Congress forming a Government at the Centre on its own is not going to happen. It is impossible in that sense.”
With the fast evolving political scenario where “the regional parties are getting stronger and stronger the bigger parties like the BJP and the Congress should not aspire to form the Government on their own,” she maintained adding “both these parties will have to take the help of the regional players.”
On the political situation evolving in the country in the coming months she said “BJP is going to lose in Rajasthan, it may not come to power in MP and Chhattisgarh. Though both Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Raman Singh are good persons their party may have to face the anti-incumbency factor. Again in Tamil Nadu DMK may win in a big way and in Karnataka it may be a 50:50 affair. In that case BJP will have to rely heavily on its allies.”
On the other hand the Congress will also have to depend on parties like RJD in Bihar, anti-BJP forces of UP and other regional outfits she maintained apparently with a message for Gandhi.
Banerjee was speaking to a Bengali television channel.
On Karnataka elections Banerjee predicted a hung-Assembly where former Prime Minister’s son Deve Gowda could emerge as the dark horse in the Chief Ministerial race. “It is going to be a hung-Assembly where Mr Deve Gowda’s son will emerge as a compromise candidate,” Banerjee whose party was almost set to win the May 14 Bengal panchayat elections maintained.