New Delhi: The Congress is trying to work out a seat-sharing alliance with smaller regional parties in Rajasthan to bring like-minded forces together against the BJP.
The grand old party is also trying to induct leaders from the JD-S and BJP to weaken their alliance in Karnataka and win at least 20 of the 28 parliamentary seats in the southern state.
According to party insiders, after having left the Sikar seat for the CPI-M, which has declared Amra Ram as its candidate, the Congress is hopeful of sealing a pact with Hanuman Beniwal’s RLP and the tribal outfit BAP to broad base the opposition grouping.
According to party insiders, RLP leader Hanuman Beniwal may be given the Nagaur seat.
“Yes, an alliance with the RLP and BAP is possible. The Congress is trying to bring all secular forces together against the BJP. Both the regional parties have influence in their respective areas,” AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa told ETV Bharat.
According to party insiders, since the Congress lost the recent assembly in Rajasthan due to infighting between the camps of ex-chief minister Ashok Gehlot and senior leader Sachin Pilot and made the mistake of giving tickets to the MLAs facing strong anti-incumbency, a series of corrections have been introduced by the high command for the national polls.
Rajasthan has 25 members in the Lok Sabha and the BJP had won all the seats in 2019.
“The BJP will get a surprise this time. We have become better organized. There is no infighting and every leader and worker is together. We are putting up very good candidates after due diligence and there are no murmurs of dissent so far,” Randhawa said.
The Congress has so far named Sunil Sharma from Jaipur, Kuldeep Indora from Ganganagar, Sangeeta Beniwal from Pali, Umeda Ram Beniwal from Barmer, Urmila Jain Bhaya from Jhalawar.
The party has already fielded Govind Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, ex-BJP MP Rahul Kaswan from Churu, Brijendra Ola from Jhunjhunu, Lalit Yadav from Alwar, Sanjana Jatav from Bharatpur, Harish Chandra Meena from Tonk, Karan Singh Uchiyarda from Jodhpur, Tarachand Meena from Udaipur, Udaylal Aanjana from Chittorgarh and Vaibhav Gehlot, son of ex-CM Ashok Gehlot from Jalore.
The party is likely to field ex-BJP leader Prahlad Gunjal from Kota against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Gunjal joined the Congress on March 21.
Along with Gunjal, a powerful leader from Harauti area, independent MLA candidates from Chhabra Naresh Meena, Fateh Khan from Sheo and Sunil Parihar from Sivana also joined the grand old party.
Besides strengthening the opposition alliance in Rajasthan, the Congress managers are also trying to induct JD-S and BJP leaders in party ruled Karnataka to win at least 20 of the 28 parliamentary seats.
The Congress state leaders inducted 4 times sitting MLC Martibbegowda and Ex MLC Appaji Gowda in Bengaluru on March 22. In 2019, the BJP had won 25 seats while Congress and JD-S won one seat each. One seat went to an independent. Recently, the BJP and JD-S have joined hands to counter the Congress which won the last year’s Karnataka assembly elections.
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