A broad consensus has been reached among various opposition parties to unitedly take on the BJP and RSS in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and a decision on the prime ministerial candidate will be taken after the results, top Congress sources have said.
The Congress is of the view that firming of proper opposition alliances in UP, Bihar and Maharashtra is crucial as the BJP can lose a major chunk of its seats in these states which would pave the way for the ouster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reported PTI.
A “broad strategic understanding” between the SP, BSP and the Congress in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, has been struck and details of seat-sharing are being worked out, the sources reportedly said.
The party believes it is likely to reap big gains in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and some others in next Lok Sabha polls, that will help catapult it to the centre-stage of an opposition alliance, the report said.
The Congress will accord priority to views of state units before forging tie-up with AAP in Delhi and Punjab, but will not ally with parties like Shiv Sena whose ideology is not in consonance with that of the Congress, they reportedly said.
With Congress authorising party chief Rahul Gandhi to forge such alliances with like-minded parties on state-to-state basis, party insiders say views of state units will be taken into consideration before such tie-ups. The interests of state PCCs will be protected before forging any state-level or national tie-ups, the sources was quoted as saying.
The Congress also reportedly feels that it will win the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly elections later this year, where it is unlikely to project a chief ministerial candidate. The party will focus on selection of right candidates for these elections.