SP feud: Alliance dash after poll call

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday announced the schedule for the five-state Assembly elections, injecting a sense of urgency into the undeclared efforts by the Congress and the Samajwadi Party to seal an arrangement in Uttar Pradesh that goes to seven-phased polls from February 11. The Congress has been waiting for the curtains to come down on the Samajwadi feud, asserting in public the exercise to select candidates for all the 403 constituencies in Uttar Pradesh was about to be completed. But sources said behind-the-scenes parleys had almost given the final shape to a seat-sharing arrangement and the announcement would be made soon after the internal conflict among the Samajwadis is resolved. An indication came from none other than Sheila Dikshit, earmarked as the Congress's chief minister candidate - a tag that becomes redundant if the Samajwadi arrangement works out. Dikshit suggested that she was ready to step aside in case the Congress struck an alliance with the SP. Asked if she was ready to withdraw as chief ministerial candidate in case of an alliance, she said: "I shall obey the party's decision, there is no question of showing any rigidity." The Congress may finally get around 125 seats, to be shared with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). A sense of urgency dawned on both sides as the electoral process has started and there is an attempt to end uncertainties by January 15. While Rahul Gandhi, now on a foreign tour, is expected to return in the next few days, the Congress has called a national convention on January 11 at Delhi's Talkatora Stadium as part of a nationwide campaign against demonetisation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies. Party sources said Dikshit may be dumped before the convention. The meeting is likely to witness an escalation of attacks on Modi for not responding to Rahul's charge related to the alleged Sahara-Birla payoffs. Dikshit's name, along with those of BJP chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh, reportedly figures in the Sahara diary. By dropping Dikshit - which may become inevitable after an alliance with the Samajwadi Party - the Congress plans to mount moral pressure on the BJP leadership. Dikshit has already demanded a "fair inquiry" into the Sahara-Birla case, overcoming her initial unease over the controversy. If she moves away, the Congress may pick someone younger as its Uttar Pradesh leader and project the leader as deputy chief minister. The upcoming polls in five states are extremely crucial for the Congress. An inability to win Punjab can send out the message that the party does not have the wherewithal to counter the BJP and its allies. By retaining Uttarakhand, the Congress can pull off a face-saver but blunting a five-year-old anti-incumbency in the hill state will be more difficult than exploiting a 10-year anti-incumbency against the hugely unpopular BJP-Akali government in Punjab. "We are well prepared for these elections and will form the government in four states - Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. In Uttar Pradesh too, the outcome will be favourable, given the tremendous response Rahul's Kisan Yatra received there," Congress spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil said on Wednesday. Asked about an alliance with the Samajwadis, Gohil said: "We plan to fight alone but will see if we have to align with like-minded parties to stop communal fascists, who wear mask of development and indulge in destructive politics." The Congress hopes to retain Uttarakhand as chief minister Harish Rawat has sewn up a formidable social combination with Rajput, Dalits and Muslims. The BJP's disadvantage is that it does not have a credible leader in the hill state. In Punjab, the Congress, led by Amarinder Singh, had initially expected a cakewalk but the emergence of Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aam Party has turned the contest triangular, raising the spectre of a hung verdict. The Congress is confident of returning to power in Manipur and hopes to cash in on perceived anti-incumbency against the BJP in Goa.