VIJAYAWADA: The Congress and the Left are averse to an electoral tie-up as far as the city is concerned for the coming municipal elections.

While the CPI and the CPI(M) have almost decided to go together, the Congress has to satisfy various groups within the party. With delimitation adding nine more divisions to the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), aspirations among contending candidates have gone up. The Congress is facing a piquant situation with more than five candidates throwing their hats into the ring for every corporator seat.

Party legislators — V. Radhakrishna and Devineni Nehru — party MP Lagadapati Rajagopal and VGTMUDA Chairman Malladi Vishnu are extending blessings to various contenders in the areas where they hold the sway among people and also party ranks. Against this background, the Congress is not keen on seeking seat adjustments with the Left parties.

The thought process in the Left parties, too, is interestingly no different. As the two parties would be sharing the seats, generally the proportion would be in the range of 50:50. Of course, the parties had a long history of fighting the polls together in the city.

The two parties jointly ruled the city between 1981 and 1986 with each party taking the post of the Mayor by rotation. When the CPI candidate was elected Mayor in the direct elections in 1995, the CPI(M) retained the Deputy Mayor's post while the Standing Committee Chairman's post was shared by rotation.

The Left parties are already working out the modalities on how to share power, if elected to rule.

Power game on

The mayoral post could be held by rotation or shared by the parties in two halves of the total tenure. Similarly, the posts of Deputy Mayor and Standing Committee Chairman, too, will be adjusted accordingly.

CPI(M) city secretary Ch. Baburao observes that the TDP and the BJP are "individually or collectively" no force to reckon within the city. The fight will be between the Left and the Congress, he says. But, this will not be detrimental to the broad agreement between the Congress and the Left elsewhere in the State.

Mr. Baburao maintains that no proposal for an adjustment has come from the Congress side. Even if it emerges, the possibility of acceding to it is "very bleak," he says.

City Congress president Pyla Sominaidu also indicates that the party is not considering a tie-up with the Left.

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