Polls, allies, Kalyan — all on table for Jan 29 CWC meet

NEW DELHI: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet here on January 29, reports Urmi A Goswami from New Delhi. The meeting is expected to take an overview of the election preparations and finalise the key talking points in the party manifesto. The meeting is also expected to take stock of the emerging political situation.

There has been some restlessness in the ruling alliance, particularly in states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The Congress, which was hoping to have some clarity on the shape of its alliance in Uttar Pradesh, has not been able to thrash out issues with the Samajwadi Party. Encouraged by the entry of players like Kalyan Singh, the SP is determined to drive a hard bargain.

���Kalyan Singh has 4 to 5% of transferable votes. He has pledged his support to us. We would like to know what the Congress can bring to the table,��� said a SP leader. The SP is also peeved with the Congress for not acting on its demands ��� both political and extra-political. The negotiations are unlikely to conclude soon as the Congress has not made it clear how far it would go to please the SP. Sources in the Congress said the next few days are crucial.

The Congress Working Committee will be meeting in the absence of the prime minister. The party has successfully warded off any attempt to suggest a leadership crisis by not picking up a minister to stand in for Mr Singh. The meeting is also expected to take stock of the impact of India���s campaign against Pakistan. There is satisfaction that the government has been reasonably successful in getting the international community to back its call against Islamabad. But there is also realisation that keeping the momentum on till the polls will be quite difficult.