Apparently buoyed by the prospects of an end to bipolar polity given its performance in the last Lok Sabha and recent Assembly elections, the Congress is finding it tough to put the message across to its present and prospective allies who have dug their heels in both Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

Although the NCP leader Praful Patel asserted on Monday evening that the party would “definitely” be a part of the government in Maharashtra, the party continued to talk about 1999 power-sharing formula. The NCP was not ready to concede Rural Development and Tribal Development portfolios to the Congress, notwithstanding the latter’s tally of 82 seats as against the NCP’s 62 in the recent Assembly elections.

On the other hand, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha’s (JVM) Babulal Marandi was playing tough in seat-sharing negotiations and talks with the Congress seemed to be heading for a breakdown. While Marandi wanted to contest at least 40 seats in 81-seat Assembly, the Congress was not ready to concede more than 25, according to party sources. Reconciled to go it alone in Jharkhand, the Congress announced its candidates for 26 seats on Tuesday.

These developments have come as a setback to the Congress, which was foreseeing a return to its dominant position in the country’s polity. But, the grand old party’s allies are apparently not ready to feed into such aspirations.

In Maharashtra, the Congress was learnt to have proposed a formula by which it gets 22 ministers and the Chief Minister’s post, while the NCP gets 19 ministers plus Deputy CM’s post. Under the 2004 power-sharing arrangement, the Congress had 20 ministers as against the NCP’s 23. Congress sources said the party did not stake any claim for crucial portfolios like Home, Power, Finance and PWD and instead wanted portfolios like Rural Development and Tribal Development in keeping with party president Sonia Gandhi’s focus on these key areas. The NCP was, however, far from accommodative.

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