Even as Congress claims a turnaround of their poll fortune in the next Assembly polls after the arrival of strategist Prashant Kishor, confusion still prevails on whether to go alone or forging a `Mahagathbandhan’ (Grand Alliance) a la Bihar, to regain power.
While senior leaders including AICC general secretary and UP in-charge Madhusudan Mistri and UP Congress chief Nirmal Khatri said that the party was ready to go alone, strategist PK strongly favours coalition politics particularly after the Bihar experiment.
Sources said that while the Congress brass hired PK hoping that he would come up with a winning formula, but the state leadership seem to have divergent views with the `game changer’ from Bihar on how to negotiate the next elections.
"When PK took charge, a strong message went down the line that Congress will forge an alliance of all smaller political outfits having considerable regional influence and votes. This cane be verified from leaders of small parties," said sources.
They furtehr pointed out that PK was in touch with at least a dozen small parties of UP like Peace Party, Mahan Dal, break faction of Apna Dal, Janta Dal (United), Rastriya lok Dal (RlD), Rastriya Janta Dal, TMC etc to stitch a grand alliance projecting the BJP as the main opposition.
Kishor wanted that both the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party be kept away from the campaign to send a message that these two parties are out of contest and that the fight is confined to the Congress and the BJP.
PK's move seems to have suffered a setback and created confusion in the minds of Congressmen. And why not IJ
Mistri has outrightly denied a pre-poll alliance with any party. Khatri too has stressed that his party was prepared to go alone and denied that the Congress has contacted any small outfit.
A senior Congressmen preferring anonymity said that both groups - one of Mistri and Khatri and the other of PK, enjoy Rahul Gandhi's patronage. "Hence only time will tell whether the two senior leaders would succeed or the top brass would comply with advise of Prashant Kishor.