Thiruvananthapuram : Dumped by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and not yet accepted by the United Democratic Front (UDF), ex-Congress leader K. Karunakaran's party Saturday told UDF they wouldn't wait beyond March 20.

"We have decided at our meet here Saturday that under no circumstances will our party forgo its identity. We will fight the assembly polls only on the symbol allotted by the Election Commission," Democratic Indira Congress-Karunakaran state president K. Muraleedharan told reporters here.

"We will wait till March 20 for any talks with the (Congress-led) UDF. If nothing happens, we will contest all 140 seats on our own," he said.

Ever since the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) dumped Karunakaran's newly formed outfit in January, the latter has been trying to inch towards the UDF.

Muraleedharan said some old friends from the UDF had initiated exploratory talks.

"Let me make one thing very clear, our leader is Karunakaran," said his son.

One of the pre-conditions set out by the Congress was that Karunakaran's party could enter its fold or become an ally only if they were prepared to accept Sonia Gandhi as their leader.

Asked whether he sees any possibility of having a tie-up with the LDF, Muraleedharan said that "chapter is closed".

A final decision on the fate of Karunakaran's party is expected at the Congress Working Committee meeting being held in Delhi.

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