Congress hints at no alliance for UP Assembly polls

New Delhi: Amid its Vice President Rahul Gandhi's aggressive pitch to woo voters in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Congress party on Saturday virtually ruled out any alliance in the Assembly polls.

"Our policy so far is to stand on our own feet. We have not given much thought to the issue," party General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said while talking to reporters along with UPCC Chief Raj Babbar.

He was asked whether the Congress, out of power in UP for 27 years now, would ally with any party in the Assembly polls scheduled early next year.

Replying to another question, Azad suggested he was not in favour of early declaration of candidates for UP polls. He said early declaration was a "double-edged sword" which at times helps, but at times proves counter-productive.

"When the entire party leadership is approaching people (through various yatras), the issue is not relevant," he said to the suggestion that early announcement of candidates give them time to reach out to people.

Asked about the turmoil in the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, he said he foresees a "war-like situation" in the party during distribution of tickets.

"What you are seeing is just the beginning, just see how things develop there," he said, quoting a urdu couplet, insisting there will be a "Panipat" (war) over distribution of tickets in that party.

Taking a dig at the family of Mulayam Singh Yadav holding all key posts in UP, he said the turmoil led to one "discovery" that the "chacha-bhatija share in between them 95 per cent of the important portfolios, leaving just five per cent for the rest."

His reference was to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle and senior state minister Shivpal Yadav being in charge of all key ministries including Home, Finance, Cooperatives and PWD.