The Congress party is finding itself in a comfortable position as it prepares to strengthen itself in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
With former union telecom minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader A Raja cooling his heels in the CBI custody on the one hand, and Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) chief Chiranjeevi scheduled to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi today on the other, the Congress party is finding itself in a comfortable position as it prepares to strengthen itself in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
In Tamil Nadu, the party hopes that Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who will be negotiating the seat-sharing arrangement with the DMK for the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, scheduled in a few months’ time, will be able to extract a better bargain from them.
“He is a superb negotiator, and we hope that along with Union minister Vayalar Ravi, who has a good equation with the DMK chief M Karunanidhi, they would be able to get a bigger share of seats this time,” said a Congress MP.
In the 2006 elections, the Congress barely got 48 out of the 234 from the DMK, but this time it has set its sights on at least 80 seats.
What the Congress is not stating out loudly but is clear to all is that with Raja in custody and that his revelations might harm other senior leaders in the DMK, the latter party is in no position to deny the Congress its pound of flesh. The Congress is also keen to join the state government in the event of the alliance retaining power.
As far as neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is concerned, the Congress is close to striking a deal with the PRP, and which may be announced today. Such a deal has become necessary to meet the threat of YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of the late AP chief minister YS Rajashekhar Reddy, who is forming his own party and has claims to have the support of 20 MLAs.
The PRP has 17 MLAs whose support may become crucial in case the Congress government is reduced to a minority in the event of a split. The party, however, denied that its government in AP was under any threat. “Our government in AP is stable, but there is no harm in reaching out to like-minded parties if it leads to the process of political consolidation,” said party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan.
According to party sources, should the arrangement work out, there could be power sharing at the state and central level. “A few legislators from PRP could become ministers in the state, and one berth could be offered at the centre through the Rajya Sabha route,” said a party official.
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