New Delhi: The Congress is not averse to supporting any regional party leader for the Prime Minister’s post, even if it emerges as the single largest party, Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad said on Thursday. The statement came in the backdrop of the buzz on social media over the leak of an exit poll which gives 177 seats to the BJP-led NDA, 141 to the Congress-led UPA and 224 to others.
Azad’s remarks assume significance as the Congress has been asserting until now that it would be the fulcrum of any non-NDA government; this, in turn, was seen as an attempt by the Congress leadership to position itself for the PM’s post. The perception had constrained some regional parties to maintain a distance from such a grouping.
Expecting a fractured mandate, AICC treasurer Ahmed Patel, the trusted lieutenant of Sonia Gandhi, and Azad have started calling up Opposition leaders on her behalf to know their availability and accessibility in Delhi after the last round of polling on Sunday, as also on May 23 on the day of counting and thereafter. Indications are that Sonia will hold a meeting of the opposition leaders on the afternoon of May 23.
Congress sources say two chief ministers — Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath — have been asked to be available in Delhi to assist Patel and Azad in this matter. It was Sonia who had taken the lead in the formation of UPA in 2004 and she has already got down to bringing all UPA allies, including the regional heavyweights and neutral players like the BJD and the TRS, on board with a clear motive of blocking the Modi juggernaut from returning to power.
The opposition’s worry is that President Ram Nath Kovind, a BJP appointee, may invite Modi to form the government, even if he does not get a majority; hence they all agree on the need to hold the meeting, if possible, on May 21, two days before the counting.
Thus far, the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Sharad Pawar have spoken informally about the scenario post-election, if the BJP falls short of the magic number.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambram admits it will be a big challenge for the Congress to win over these parties but he is confident that the non-BJP parties will get together once they read the writing on the wall. Other Congress leaders said Rahul Gandhi would soon announce that he is not a candidate for the prime minister’s post and that would help in bringing around even the parties sitting on the fence.
They do not rule out even some allies of the BJP crossing over to the opposition side. The man who needs watching is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Their support will be welcome but they will not be a part of the new government, Congress leaders said.
