Congress says alliance talks final in UP, won't project Rahul Gandhi as PM face

Congress said on Friday it was focusing on alliances and a "negative-positive" campaign that would look to "expose" the Narendra Modi government and also provide an "alternative vision" on employment, health, education and other key issues.       

Party leaders also said a "strategic understanding" has been reached among BSP, SP and Congress, along with other groups, in Uttar Pradesh to take on BJP in next year's general elections.

Sources said there would not be any Prime Ministerial candidate of a united Opposition, still in the works, to avoid distraction and fracture.

It is a departure from its stance of projecting party chief Rahul Gandhi for the top post.

The party has a two-stage plan. "We want to avoid any confusion or distraction. Most Opposition leaders agree with us as we have arrived at a consensus to unitedly fight the government," party leaders said.

The stage two is a post-poll one and says parties would sit together and choose their leader.

Congress leaders said they will improve their tally of MPs significantly, indicating to claim the post of PM in case of a win.

They said PM Modi would need 230-240 Lok Sabha seats to retain his post. They claimed BJP was losing some 120 seats, mainly in UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.