BJP, Congress admit coalitions are to stay
By IANSTuesday, March 3, 2009
NEW DELHI - A day after India’s parliamentary election schedule was announced, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday admitted they needed allies to win.
‘We are confident the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) will come into power with full majority,’ said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP’s vice-president and election strategist.
He, however, conceded that a coalition government was a reality in the present scenario.
‘The scene after the election results is still unclear and no single party can form a government without alliances,’ Naqvi added.
Congress general secretary B.K. Hari Prasad agreed.
‘We will definitely form the government,’ he said. ‘Coalition politics is a reality.’
The Lok Sabha elections will take place in April-May, and the results will be announced May 16.
India has not had a single-party government since 1996.
