Alliances will be decided only after poll results: PM

September 23rd, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Assembly elections in Haryana are barely 20 days away, but there is no sign of political alliances being forged by leading opposition parties that could give the ruling Congress some serious competition. With the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government opting for early polls by getting the 90-member assembly dissolved in August, seven months before the term of the house was to end, the opposition has been put on the defensive.

May 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh on Friday put a dampener on speculations of any alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Squashing rumours of any talks of forging a post-poll alliance fuelled by his meeting with BJP president Rajnath Singh, Amar said, "It was not possible as there was an ideological difference between the two parties." "I don't think so because there is a core issue of difference between us and them.

May 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - As the countdown begins for the 16th May results, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday discussed strategies to shore up their numbers for government formation. Congress President Sonia Gandhi held a meeting at her residence to discuss the party's strategy for possible post-poll alliances.

May 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Expressing displeasure with two candidates in Himachal Pradesh who violated the poll code, the Election Commission Tuesday asked the authorities to file a case against them. The poll panel said that cases should be filed against Lok Janshakti Party's (LJP) Keshab Chauhan and sitting MP and Congress candidate Chander Kumar - both fighting elections from Kangra constituency - for having more than four people accompany them when they filed their nominations.

May 7th, 2009 GHAZIABAD - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh on Thursday said talks are going on with many parties for post-poll alliance. Talking to reporters, Singh said, " Talks are going on with several parties about a post-poll alliances to form the government at Centre.

April 14th, 2009 CHENNAI - AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha Tuesday asserted that she had no 'personal ambition' to become prime minister and said she would consult the Left, the PMK, the MDMK and 'other like minded parties' after the elections.

April 4th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday announced the names of eight candidates in Gujarat for general elections. The party's decision indicated that its tie-up with the Congress in the State has broken.

April 1st, 2009 BANGALORE - The ruling Congress, which has pre-poll alliances in eight states across the country for the coming general elections, is open to post-poll alliances to remain in power even in a coalition set-up, a senior party leader said Wednesday. 'We are contesting in about 440 constituencies across the country and have seat-sharing agreements in eight states with regional/state parties.

March 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Unfazed by the desertion of some of its allies, the Congress Friday said that government formation was a numbers game and the party was confident of forging alliances after the Lok Sabha elections. 'Government formation is a game of numbers.

March 4th, 2009 MUMBAI - A day after the Lok Sabha election schedule was announced, major political parties in Maharashtra have still not managed to firm up their alliances for the polls. Even as the election ball is set rolling, the two main combines - the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena - are still grappling with finalizing their respective alliances.

March 2nd, 2009 NASHIK - Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar Sunday urged the Congress to take a lead in declaring national-level, pre-poll alliances with its partners. 'As a big party, the Congress should come out with the pre-poll alliance and alliance partners should get a chance to contest from constituencies in which they are strong,' he said, addressing the party's crucial state-level convention here.

March 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) led by Ajit Singh announced its entry into the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) here Monday. The RLD will have a poll pact with the main NDA constituent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

January 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Thursday said it will have its own manifesto and not a common one with its partners in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The Congress Working Committee (CWC) met here to discuss poll strategy ahead of the Lok Sabha elections likely to be held in April-May.

January 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress will have its own election manifesto rather than a common one with its United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners, the party said Thursday. 'The Congress will have its own manifesto and in states where we have alliance partners, we would seek votes for them,' party spokesperson Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

January 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission has indicated that the next parliamentary poll will not be held before April, perhaps in May, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday decided to pick its candidates before the end of this month. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's parliamentary board.