Polls 2012: Sonia Gandhi rule talk a tactical ploy

With Sonia Gandhi and Rahul asserting that there would be no post poll alliance in UP, and Digvijay Singh going a step further to talk about the option of imposing President’s rule in the event of a hung assembly, one thing is certain:  the Congress is unsure of the numbers.

The Congress, however, has a major tactical reason for taking a hardline against a post-poll alliance. It is banking on the minority community’s shift from the SP, and an impression that it could have a post-poll alliance with the SP is seen as a hurdle in this political transition. “If we are ultimately going to join hands with the SP, then why should they break away from that party,” a senior leader said.

A section of the party has a view that the major sub-plot in this election campaign is the contest between the Gen-Next on both sides — Rahul versus Akhilesh Yadav. “So why should we facilitate the next generation of the SP to get a foothold? If they don’t have the numbers then it is not our job to help them,” observed a Congress  leader.