New Delhi: Admitting that Congress' position in Uttar Pradesh in the coming Lok Sabha elections is weak, senior party leader Kapil Sibal regretted that no alliance could be reached with the Samajwadi Party in the State.

"We have no hesitation in accepting that we are weak in UP, as compared to other States. What we want in UP is to avoid a split in secular votes. Such a situation would benefit us as well as other secular parties, but it looks like that the SP wants to go alone, the reason for this is best known to them," Sibal said, when asked how could Congress provide an alternative to National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as it could not find an ally in UP.

"We have no hesitation in acknowledging publicly that our efforts for UP have disappointed us. Was there to be an alliance in UP, the Congress return to power at the Centre would have a foregone conclusion.

"But if that is not materialising, we are going to fight on our own. Our party surveys tell us we are to get around 18 per cent votes in that State," Sibal told the BBC Hindi special programme 'Aapki Baat BBC Ke Saath' broadcast last night (Mar 28, 2004).

He claimed if there was an alliance between Congress and other secular parties like the SP, "all of us would perform well and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) would be left nowhere in the biggest State of the country. But the attitude of SP is such which is helping no one."