UPA is intact, not collapsing

Congress: UPA is intact, not collapsing

 Allaying fears of any split in the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party on Friday said the coalition is intact and "issues" with its partners would be sorted out soon.

"The UPA is intact. It is not in shambles and it is not collapsing either. We have certain issues with our coalition partners over seat sharing in some states, but this must not be taken as a collapse of the UPA," Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari said.

He was replying to a media question whether the UPA is collapsing after the tit-for-tat over seat sharing between the Congress and its allies - Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).

The two key constituents of the UPA on Tuesday announced that they would contest the elections in Bihar together. Of 40 seats in Bihar, the RJD kept 25, gave 12 to LJP and left only three for the Congress.

On Wednesday, the Congress retaliated by unilaterally deciding the seat sharing for Jharkhand. Of the 14 seats in the state, the Congress gave five to the JMP and LJP.