Congress, NCP have an April date

The state leadership of Congress, which lost its deposit in bypolls to two crucial Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, has taken a cue from party president Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and is initiating a concrete dialogue to stitch a pre-poll alliance in Maharashtra.

Both the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party are already united in taking on the BJP-led government in the state legislature’s Budget session, and are planning to meet in April to discuss further cementing of ties. The parties, on Thursday, broadly hinted that an alliance — not only between the two — but with other like-minded parties as well, will help give BJP a tough time in the ensuing Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, slated for 2019. 

The initiative also comes close on the heels of the dinner hosted by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi with 20 anti-BJP secular parties. However, the leaders indicated that the terms for negotiations will be decided by the high command of the respective parties.

State Congress president Ashok Chavan told DNA, “As far as Congress party’s alliance with NCP is concerned, it will be a win-win situation for both the parties.”