Maharashtra Congress leaders view NCP as a natural ally

Maharashtra Congress leaders view the NCP as a “natural ally” and feel the two parties can defeat the BJP and the Shiv Sena whenever elections are held.

In West Bengal, the Congress has been opposing an alliance with the Trinamul Congress. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress is more comfortable with the National Conference than its former ally, the PDP.

The Trinamul Congress, NCP and the PDP have emerged as key players. All three parties broke away from the Congress on certain issues over 15 years ago.

Significantly, the Con-gress had shared power with all these parties in West Bengal, Maharashtra and J&K, but it was only the NCP alliance which lasted long. “If we (Congress and NCP) come together, we can rule the state for another 15 years but if we don’t then it would give space for new players,” said a senior Congress leader.

Though a section of the Congress in Maharashtra has been uncomfortable with the NCP, it has been lacking support of people across the state. These leaders are not even caste leaders, but are confined to their Assembly constituencies, Congress insiders said.

Maharashtra is perhaps the only major state where the Congress can be revived early if it isolates the ruling BJP. This is because split in the Hindu vote-bank of the BJP-Shiv Sena combine and the saffron party’s open support for the bifurcation of Maharashtra could work against it outside the Vidarbha region.

Besides, the BJP has not identified itself with farmers, industrial workers, organised sector and could not make a dent in the support base of the Congress-NCP combine (Maratha, dalit and minorities).

Barring the Shiv Sena, its current allies — the RPI (Athawale), Rashtriya Samaj Paksha of Mahadeo Jankar and the Swabhiani Paksha of Raju Shetti — have been criticising the BJP and the government on issues of backward castes and farmers.

The BMC polls next year could be a turning point in the ruling front as both the BJP and the Shiv Sena would try to control the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation separately, insiders said.