Will not opt for poll tie-up with communal parties: Congress

The state Congress unit president Ashok Chavan on Monday said the Congress would not opt for an alliance with communal parties for the upcoming civic elections. Chavan, who attended a meeting of senior Congress leaders at the party's Tilak Bhavan office in Dadar, alleged that the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was contesting civic polls at the behest of BJP.

Chavan said the party would not enter into an alliance with either AIMIM or the BJP-Shiv Sena combine as they are communal parties.

"Whenever AIMIM has contested elections, it has pushed forward the BJP agenda. Also, AIMIM is acting at the behest of BJP," Chavan said.

Ruling out a possible alliance with the NCP for the upcoming civic polls, Chavan said NCP has already released its list of candidates. He added that after taking into account the feelings of Congress leaders from the Mumbai unit, he feels an alliance will not be possible with the NCP, at least for the civic polls.

"The Congress is always open to an alliance with like-minded secular parties," he, however, added.