Author: Press Trust of India
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: May 16, 2004
URL: http://hindustantimes.com/news/6996_757726,001600550000.htm
Congress was seriously considering
the inclusion of Samajwadi party in the coalition government led by it
at the Centre, party leader Salman Khurshid said on Saturday.
The Congress Working Committee member
told reporters that the SP has "no other option" but the Congress now.
Alleging large scale rigging in
the state during the just concluded elections, he said Congress president
Sonia Gandhi has been apprised of it.
"According to rough estimates, rigging
and malpractices influenced the results of about 10 to 15 seats in the
state," he said alleging that Samajwadi Party workers indulged in malpractices
allegedly at the behest of the chief minister.
He also alleged that SP workers
indulged in unfair practices during the counting in Farrukhabad, the seat
which his wife Louis lost by a narrow margin, and said he would take the
help of the judiciary to get the guilty punished.
On Friday, Congress workers staged
a dharna to protest the alleged malpractice.
The police had to resort to lathi-charge
to control the demonstrators which forced the closure of markets in Kayamganj,
Kampil and Farrukhabad city.
