Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Stalemate continues between Congress, Left parties

Special Correspondent

Move for negotiations should come from the Congress: Left

VIJAYAWADA: The deadlock between the Congress and the Left parties could not be resolved on Thursday, as both sides remained `adamant' on their respective stands.

The Communist parties announced that any further move for negotiations on seat sharing should come from the Congress. If nothing is forthcoming by Friday, the Left parties will go ahead with campaign.

Firm on demand

City secretary of the CPI-M, Ch. Baburao, said that the Left parties were firm on their demand for 24 seats and the Mayor post, if they were to accept an alliance with the Congress. However, the Congress leaders also made it clear that they too are not ready to yield ground, as they had "better winning chances" in the city. "If the alliance is so necessary, it can be thought of after the elections," says a senior Congress leader.

Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal spent his day attending the NSUI-sponsored `Sphoorti' programme and a few closed-door meetings with party leaders. However, some Congress leaders said that a solution could be worked out to bring both sides together.

CPI State secretary K. Narayana, who held parleys with local leaders of his party, also told them that they should have a perfect understanding with the CPI-M while selecting the nominees from various divisions in the city. He told The Hindu that his mission was not to prevail upon his party leaders to enter into an electoral understanding.

Central committee member of the CPI-M Koratala Satyanarayana and he visited Vijayawada only to make sure that there were no differences between the two Left parties and that they sorted out all their problems amicably.

Interestingly, everything does not seem to be hunky dory even with the Left front. For, the CPI-M is said to have been asking for seats wherever the CPI is strong and enjoys winning chances. Even some Congress leaders have expressed this apprehension saying that in the event of an alliance, the CPI-M would surely ask for the seats wherever the Congress is very strong and likely to win.

The spin-doctors in the CPI-M, however, maintain that they are working out modalities to search for some independent candidates for fielding in the divisions wherever neither of the Communist parties is strong. And, this is one reason why the CPI-M may ask for a few seats where their alliance partners are strong.

After protracted discussions among various groups, Congress leaders began another round of discussions at Andhra Ratna Bhavan around 8 p.m. A Congress MLA indicated that the Communists may be "aproached with a fresh offer of 20 seats and Mayoral position by rotation," if all city leaders agree to the proposal.

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