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Sonia doesn`t rule out demanding snap poll, if party sweeps
New Delhi, Nov 15: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today did not rule out demanding snap polls to Lok Sabha if her party emerged victorious in the coming assembly elections in five states.
New Delhi, Nov 15: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today did not rule out demanding snap polls to Lok Sabha if her party emerged victorious in the coming assembly elections in five states.
"We will tell you in the first week of December (when the results of the assembly polls will be out)", a beaming Sonia, who freely mingled with the media, said at an 'Iftar' hosted by her at the party headquarters.
Sonia made the cryptic comment when a reporter asked her whether Congress would demand a snap poll in the event of her party making a sweep in the December 1 assembly polls.
To a question about her party's prospects in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, Sonia first said "all four" and added even the polls surveys had shown that it was winning in Delhi and Rajasthan. As regards Madhya Pradesh, she said the Chief Minister "says we are winning and I will go by that (assessment)."
Sonia dismissed a suggestion that the election commission's indications against an early poll in Andhra Pradesh would in any way affect the Congress prospects in the state where it continued to be "well placed".
The 'Iftar' was attended by a host of opposition leaders including former prime ministers V P Singh and I K Gujral, Ram Vilas Paswan, Ajit Singh, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah. The national conference leaders, whose party was with the NDA till recently, were for the first time invited for the Iftar by Sonia.
But left leaders were absent with CPI-M having its politburo meeting in Kolkata and CPI leaders being out of station. Congress leaders insisted that no political meaning should be attached to the absence.
While SP general secretary Amar Singh turned up, his party chief and UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav as also NCP president Sharad Pawar were among the absentees.
BSP president Mayawati, whose party was warming up with Congress, was also among the absentees but Sonia said that she was busy with some election in Uttar Pradesh.
"All our friends who were invited but could not come was because they are busy campaigning,” Sonia reasoned.
"Nothing is final in politics", she retorted when asked whether the Congress understanding with BSP was through.
Pakistan high commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan was among the members of the diplomatic corps who attended the ‘Iftar’.
Bureau Report
Sonia made the cryptic comment when a reporter asked her whether Congress would demand a snap poll in the event of her party making a sweep in the December 1 assembly polls.
To a question about her party's prospects in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, Sonia first said "all four" and added even the polls surveys had shown that it was winning in Delhi and Rajasthan. As regards Madhya Pradesh, she said the Chief Minister "says we are winning and I will go by that (assessment)."
Sonia dismissed a suggestion that the election commission's indications against an early poll in Andhra Pradesh would in any way affect the Congress prospects in the state where it continued to be "well placed".
The 'Iftar' was attended by a host of opposition leaders including former prime ministers V P Singh and I K Gujral, Ram Vilas Paswan, Ajit Singh, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah. The national conference leaders, whose party was with the NDA till recently, were for the first time invited for the Iftar by Sonia.
But left leaders were absent with CPI-M having its politburo meeting in Kolkata and CPI leaders being out of station. Congress leaders insisted that no political meaning should be attached to the absence.
While SP general secretary Amar Singh turned up, his party chief and UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav as also NCP president Sharad Pawar were among the absentees.
BSP president Mayawati, whose party was warming up with Congress, was also among the absentees but Sonia said that she was busy with some election in Uttar Pradesh.
"All our friends who were invited but could not come was because they are busy campaigning,” Sonia reasoned.
"Nothing is final in politics", she retorted when asked whether the Congress understanding with BSP was through.
Pakistan high commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan was among the members of the diplomatic corps who attended the ‘Iftar’.
Bureau Report