Seat adjustments among Jan Morcha, Cong, CPI likely in UP

New Delhi, Mar 6 (UNI) Efforts are afoot to cobble up an alliance comprising the V P Singh led Jan Morcha, the Congress, the CPI and some smaller parties to give a fourth alternative to the electorate in the ensuing UP assembly polls.

Former Prime Minister and the architect of the Jan Morcha, V P Singh, along with Morcha Convenor Raj Babbar reportedly met Congress chief and UPA chairperson Ms Sonia Gandhi recently to give shape to the new alternative, sources told UNI today.

The sources said to give viability and credibility to the alternative in UP elections, apart from the BSP, SP and the BJP, there are moves to rope in the Congress for seat adjustments with the Jan Morcha and its allies particularly, the CPI, CPI(M-L), the Indian Justice Party headed by Udit Raj, the Bharat Sewak Samaj Party and some smaller outfits. The NCP, the RLD and LJP have already consented to go along.

It seems that the Congress too is not averse to such a tie up, especially in the backdrop of the BSP's categorical announcement that it would go alone. But the problem is that it desires to corner more than 50 per cent of the 400-odd seats at stake.

After the Left's poor performance in Punjab and Uttarakhand, the Left particularly the CPI is of the opinion that all non- BJP, non-BSP, secular parties should come together and contest the UP elections under one umbrella.

Although the 'big brother', the CPI(M) has gone on record that it would go independently and have no alliance with any party, the CPI is still hopeful that sooner or later the CPI(M) would be persuaded to join the alternative.

But only yesterday CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat asserted that while the other parties were coming together to fight against the SP, his party wanted to take on the saffron BJP.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said the rainbow of leaders like Ms Sonia Gandhi, VP Singh, Sharad Pawar, Ramvilas Paswan and Lalu Prasad would definitely infuse the UP voters to rally behind the alternative against the "misrule" of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, the 'casteist' outfit like the BSP and the communal polity of the BJP.

"Efforts are underway on behalf of the CPI to contact these parties and leaders to go for a united fight in UP," CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi added.

UNI