Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishore’s move of bringing in like minded parties on one platform to stitch a `Maha gathbandhan’ (grand alliance) seems to have derailed his own campaign of ensuring a comeback for the Congress in the coming Assembly polls.
A majority of leaders engaged with Congress campaign feel that PK was doing harm to the party by initiating an alliance with Samajwadi Party and others at this juncture when ‘they are already one up over others’.
“We already organised `27 Saal-UP Behal’ Yatra led by state chief Raj Babbar and CM candidate Sheila Dikshit in which besides BJP and BSP, we also criticised SP, holding them responsible for the mess that the state is in,” pointed out a senior UPCC vice-president.
“What does PK want from us now IJ After cursing the SP, now he is trying for a coalition with them. PK is himself confused which way to go to save his credentials as a `poll strategist’. Hence, he has started applying the ‘Bihar formula’ which will only boomerang in UP,” said he.
The Congress leader further said that people have started showing faith in the party after the `27 saal-UP behal’ Yatra and Rahul Gandhi’s `Deoria Se Dilli Kisan Yatra’.
“People in rural areas, particularly farmers and poor, have started looking towards Congress as Rahulji promised to waive them off loans, reduce their power bills increase the Minimum Support Price. But PK’s idea of a grand allance would only confuse the voters,” the leader said.
Whenasked whether the Congress would drop Sheila Dikshit as CM face if the grand allaince happened, the leader said, “Congress is the oldest and biggest political outfit whereas SP is a regional party. In case a coalition takes place, only Sheila Dikshit will remain the joint CM candidate of all partners.”
“None of our leaders are speaking to Mulayam Singh or Akhilesh Yadav despite the fomer failing to interact with senior leaders after showing interest in a coalition. Mulayam might be speaking to PK, but he has no role in decision making,” the leader asserted.
Earlier state Congress chief Raj Babbar said that there were no formal or informal talks with the SP on stitching a pre-poll alliance. However, he hinted that the Congress was ideologically closer to the SP than Mayawati’s BSP.