Sunday, January 23 2005 18:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: Despite contesting against the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) in five seats and against the Left in two out of 24 constituencies that are going to poll in the first phase on Feb 3, 2005, the Congress today (Jan 23, 2005) hoped for a patch-up among UPA (United Progressive Alliance) allies by the time the list of candidates for the third phase was announced by the respective partners.

''I will not say 100 per cent agreement...but we are trying to clear things as far as possible,'' the AICC (All India Congress Committee) leader, Oscar Fernandes, said while replying to a question on the lack of unity in the United Progressive Alliance In Jharkhand.

''In the last Lok Sabha election we all had some problems which were eventually sorted out. Such problems are common in every party,'' he said and claimed that the UPA was 'stronger in the State too'.

He said that every party had its own ideologies and programmes and they had to be reconciled with a Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

The Congress and the JMM (Jharkand Mukti Morcha) had on Jan 7, 2005 struck an election deal, leaving leaders of the RJD and Left parties angry.