SP says it may be 'forced' to support Congress

New Delhi: Congress got a boost in firming up its post-poll alliances after the Samajwadi Party (SP) said on Thursday that it would be "forced" to support the party, as rival alliances - United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - voiced optimism in winning new allies to shore up their numbers in a projected hung Lok Sabha.

With just 10 days left for election results, the Congress also sought to clear the air to mollify existing allies of the Congress irked over the overtures made by party leader Rahul Gandhi to the Left as well as former and present partners of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"First preference will be given to those parties which are with us since 2004," AICC Media department chief M Veerappa Moily said.

Though the general refrain was that all post-poll arithmetic can wait until May 16 when the votes will be counted, major players conjured possible scenarios.

The Samajwadi Party said it may be "forced" to have a post-poll alliance with Congress but indicated that it would not be without conditions as the party wanted the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh to be dismissed.

"Since we cannot go with the Third Front as Mayawati is already there, for the sake of secularism, we may be forced to look at Congress," said SP leader Amar Singh whose party is a key member of SP-Rashtriya Janata Dal-Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) grouping touted as the Fourth Front.

But the SP did some post-poll posturing setting a condition when its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said, "We will support whoever dismisses the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh."

The Congress quickly rejected the demand saying no one can indulge in any extra-constitutional move.

Speaking to CNN-IBN, SP General Secretary Amar Singh said, "Meine ek Hindi movie dekhi hai jis mein ek corrupt insan apney bhai ko keta mere paas bangla hai gari hai tumharey pass kya hai. Maya bhi kheti ha Congress ko ki mere paas government hai, dalit vote.. toh Digvijay khetey hai humarey pass CBI hai (In a Hindi movie a corrupt man says I have a bungalow and cars. Similarly Mayawati says I head a government and have Dalit votebank and Digvijay Singh of the Congress warns that they can use the Central Bureau of Investigation)."