Congress Seat Sharing Talks with Left and BSP

Congress will initiate discussions with the Left and the Bahujan Samaj Party on electoral alliances in the next few days but is not in a mood to concede more than four seats for the partners-to-be.

Though the Telangana Congress has not made a formal announcement so far in this regard, sources said both parties would be invited for talks on seat-sharing. While the Left parties have expressed their readiness to explore the possibility of an alliance and put forth their demands, the BSP was tight-lipped, taking the official stand that high command would look into the crucial issue.

Sources said TPCC might constitute a committee to hold discussions with Communist Party of India, CPI (Marxist) and BSP and in all likelihood ask Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to head the committee. Representing the Madhira constituency for more than a decade, Bhatti would be in a position to assess the strengths and weaknesses of Left parties which have been claiming a stake in the combined Khammam district.

"Left parties tried their best for an alliance with the BRS but were dumped by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. We will not ill-treat the



Left because of their bitter experience with the BRS but at the same time we are not over-enthusiastic to clinch an alliance," a senior All India Congress Committee leader told 

The Left parties have made their choice of seats public, with the CPI asking for Kothagudem, Munugodu, Husnabad and Bellampalli and the CPM pitching for Bhadrachalam, Paleru, Miryalaguda, Madhira and Ibrahimpatnam. 

Sources in the Congress said the party would be conceding one seat each to the CPI and the CPM and two seats to the BSP and may offer a few seats in the Legislative Council if it came to power

But seat-sharing with these parties in particular the Left parties would be tricky as they have sought seats from where Congress top leaders are planning to contest. For instance, Bhatti represents Madhira and there is a severe competition between former MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, both of whom joined from the BRS, for Paleru. "If Tummala is allotted Paleru, Ponguleti will contest from Kothagudem. In any case the Left will not get either of these two seats," sources said.