NEW DELHI: Amid social churn and heightened political activities in Maharashtra,
Congress has said it is not averse to an alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party of
Sharad Pawar — extending an olive branch after snubbing the former ally in recent Gujarat elections.
Set to roll out a six-month long "Parivartan Yatra" across the state, president of
Maharashtra Congress unit Ashok Chavan told TOI, "If there is need for coalition with the
NCP in the present context, there is no problem in joining hands with them... if it is a win-win for both the parties."
Chavan acknowledged that NCP had "some areas of influence, in some districts". He said, "It cannot be denied." However, he added, "An alliance can happen only if it is a win-win for both. If the coalition is advantageous only to the NCP and not to Congress, then it won't happen."
It is politically significant that Congress should publicly spell out its readiness to revive its alliance with NCP that broke down after 15 years of partnership during the 2014 assembly polls. Congress has in recent months been suspicious of Sharad Pawar's intentions, believing that he was positioning to join hands with BJP. The suspicions were prompted in part by the possibility that
Shiv Sena and BJP —the ruling combine in Mumbai —could part ways.
The doubts about NCP came to a head when both its MLAs in Gujarat last August voted against Congress candidate Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha election. The NCP topped it up by boycotting a strategy meeting of the opposition in Parliament three days later.
In retaliation, Congress decided that it would not tie-up with NCP in Gujarat elections and rolled out the divorce by not inviting it for a public meeting to mark the start of the assembly campaign. Other like-minded parties were sent the invite, as reported by TOI on August 19. But now, Congress strategists believe that Pawar has gone "too far" in whipping up anti-BJP sentiment among his workers and cannot backpedal.
While Pawar has personally hit the road campaigning against the Devendra Fadnavis government, Congress is set to launch its mass contact programme in Maharashtra. Both parties see the recent outburst of anger among Dalits, after an year of protests by the Maratha community, as godsend which can be politically capitalised upon.
Pitching for a partnership with NCP, Chavan told TOI, "We don't mind combing the opposition on a common platform. We are not against it. If it can materialise, we are open to it. But how will it happen, I don't know. We will have to go into the details of it."
