Need to keep UPA allies intact during Bihar polls: Congress

Jamshedpur, Sep 18: The Congress on Friday said an initiative should be taken to keep the UPA allies intact in the forthcoming Assembly elections in Bihar to defeat BJP.

"In an attempt to prevent the backward and minorities votes from splitting, we should make a sincere effort to keep the UPA alliance intact," Congress Rajya Sabha member Pradip Kumar Balmuchu said while commenting on the separation of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) from the grand secular alliance.

"The allies should have honoured the alliance even at the cost of a few seats here or there," Balmuchu said.

The Congress MP said if BJP polarises the minority and backward caste votes, prospect of the Congress-RJD-JD(U) alliance could get hampered.

Besides, the minority votes would also get divided following the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen decision to contest the elections, Balmuchu said.

Asked whether Congress was happy with 40 seats allotted to it in the elections, he said the party has been given its due honour by the allies.

PTI