Numbers show UPA better at coalition than NDA

Pranab Mukherjee’s victory in the Presidential polls has given some relief to the UPA which has been facing relentless coalition issues for the last few years. Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Congress spokesperson, says that the Congress is better at handling coalition partners than its opposition NDA which lost its coalition partner while it was in power.

“In 1999, NDA started with 24 parties. By 2004 when they came in for elections they were left with only 12 parties. And today there are merely left with only four parties,” said Satyavrat Chaturvedi to CNN-IBN.

“During their ruling period they lost 12 parties, that is half of their strength, as coalition partner,” he added.

In comparison to the NDA, the UPA has not lost a single party and instead new parties have joined them.

“UPA began with whatever number of parties has not lost a single party(as alliance). And on the contrary we have had additions of new parties coming in like the TMC,” Chaturvedi said.

Chaturvedi also pointed out that even the UPA faces problems, like any other coalition, but they are settled democratically.

“Even today we have problems, any coalition for that matter will have problems within. But they are discussed and settled in democratic manner on the basis of dialogues conducted between parties,” he said.