Date:09/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/09/stories/2008090960861200.htm

National

Congress-SP talks make little headway

K.V. Prasad

NEW DELHI: Congress and the Samajwadi Party(SP) discussions on Monday on seat-sharing in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections endedswiftly with no agreement reached . The second round of meeting ended swiftly after both sides stuck to their positions on some 8 to 10 seats either side appeared unwilling leave for the other. As a way out it was suggested that the Congress prepare a list of constituencies which it needs to have and a similar assessment would be made by the other side, party sources said.

Out of the nine seats the Congress won in the last general elections, the party wants to field candidates includes Kushinagar, Salempur, Farukhabad, Pratapgarh, Domeriaganj, Barabanki, Allahabad, Rampur and Sultanpur. In addition, the party wants to accommodate Raj Babbar and Beni Prasad Verma,who won on a SP ticket last time but now associated with the Congress.

It is understood that a suggestion by the Congress of a “friendly fight” on seats there is no agreement has not gone down well with the SP

Meanwhile, State Congress spokesperson Vijay Khaira asserted that the Congress-SP have agreed on 40 of the 80 seats including six-seven of the ones held by the Congress in the current Lok Sabha.