New Delhi: Even as alliance talks for a Bihar-like Mahagathbandhan in UP reaches its final lap, Congress seems to be still pressing to corner close to 100 seats up for grabs in Uttar Pradesh.
"We will be getting far more seats than media has been predicting. Just wait and watch," said a leader privy to the discussions.
Sources involved in the talks indicate, Ajit Singh led RLD may bag close to two dozen seats after negotiations. Though the initial offer stood at 20.
The alliance is being seen as a foregone conclusion with both sides throwing enough indications in the last twenty four hours.
The two parties have been in talks for over three months now.
Final declaration was held up due to protracted family feud in the Samajwadi Party.
With BSP leader Mayawati making a strong pitch for the minority votes, SP's bid to rope in Congress is also being seen as an attempt to stem attrition of Muslim votes.
Relegated to the margins in UP, Congress has also sought to improve its prospect by aligning with a regional outfit.
The last time Congress had a pre-poll alliance in UP was in 1996 when PV Narasimha Rao struck a deal with Kanshi Ram for Assembly elections.
Contesting more than 100 seats out of the 425 in undivided UP, Congress performed well with BSP successfully transferring its votes to the ally.
Congress on the other hand failed to reciprocate and effect reversed transfer.
No party since then has had a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in UP. Neither in Lok Sabha nor in Assembly polls.
Apart from the number of seats, the winnability factor in seat distribution is a critical factor in negotiating the final contours of alliance. Unlike Ajit Singh, whose party is confined to Western UP, Cong has a limited but pan-UP presence which it would want to preserve for the future.
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