After initial hiccups, the seat-sharing talks between the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies are back on track in many states including West Bengal where Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee earlier announced she would contest alone, in Maharashtra where several Congress leaders left the party, disgruntled. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress and Samajwadi Party reached a consensus and announced the seat-sharing agreement. In Delhi too, the deal is done between the Congress and the AAP. Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Singhvi on Friday wrote on X that Congress is showing how it is done while he questioned whether NDA’s seat-sharing formula has been finalised in any state.
“From UP to Maharashtra, Congress is showing how it is done. State by state, the united opposition is ready to take on autocracy of the BJP. The party is leading the #INDIAAlliance from front,” Singhvi tweeted.
From UP to Maharashtra, Congress is showing how it is done. State by state, the united opposition is ready to take on autocracy of the BJP. The party is leading the #INDIAAlliance from front.
Just asking – NDA's seat sharing formula has been finalised in how many states?
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) February 23, 2024
Uttar Pradesh
In the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Congress will contest 17 and Samajwadi Party 63. Raebareli, Amethi, Fatehpur Sikri, Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Maharajganj, Varanasi, Amroha, Jhansi, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Sitapur, Barabanki, Kanpur, Bansgaon, Deoria are the 17 seats with the Congress to field candidates.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra played a key role in reaching a consensus as the deal was final after a phone call from Priyanka to Akhilesh Yadav.
Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, Congress is in alliance with Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’s Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP. There are 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state and there was a tussle between Sena and Congress over some crucial seats in Mumbai, for example, South Mumbai which prompted Milind Deora to quit Congress. While Milind Deora joined Eknath Shinde’s Sena, Baba Siddique left Congress to join Ajit Pawar’s NCP followed by the resignation of former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan who joined the BJP. Baba Siddique’s son Zeeshan said his options to switch party were also open after he was removed from the post of the Mumbai Youth Congress chief.
According to reports, Rahul Gandhi called Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar to end the stalemate and an agreement has been reached on maximum seats, except a few.
A formal announcement regarding Maharashtra seat sharing is delayed because of seats to be given to Prakash Ambedkar’s party, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
Delhi
Out of the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi, AAP will contest four and Congress three, according to discussions so far. The Congress may contest East, Chandani Chowk and North East Lok Sabha seats; while AAP may contest New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and North West Lok Sabha seats. In Punjab, AAP said it will go solo.
Gujarat
માનનીય શ્રી રાહુલ ગાંધીજી, તમે મારી અને ભરૂચ કોંગ્રેસના કાર્યકર્તાઓની વાત સાંભળી. અમારી વાતનું સમર્થન કરીને મારું અને મારા ભરૂચ કોંગ્રેસના કાર્યકરોનું સન્માન વધાર્યું છે. હું તમને વચન આપું છું કે હું ભરૂચ લોકસભા જીતીને તમારા વિશ્વાસ પર ખરો ઊતરીશ.@RahulGandhi @INCIndia @INC…
— Faisal Ahmed Patel (@mfaisalpatel) February 23, 2024
In Gujarat, the AAP wanted Bharuch, the seat of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel but reports said Rahul Gandhi intervened and put his foot down saying the seat is emotional for the party. Ahmed Patel’s son Faisal took to X on Friday evening and thanked Rahul Gandhi. “”Honorable Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji, you listened to me and the Bharuch Congress workers. By supporting us, I and my fellow Bharuch Congress workers have been honored. I promise you that I will live up to your faith by winning the Bharuch Lok Sabha,” he tweeted. AAP already announced its candidate from the Bharuch seat
West Bengal
After a massive showdown between Congress and the Trinamool Congress led by Adhir Chowdhury and Mamata Banerjee, the seat-sharing talks are back on track, Jairam Ramesh said. The TMC has sought two seats in Assam and one in Meghalaya which are being discussed apart from West Bengal seat sharing.
West Bengal has 42 Lok Sabha seats out of which Trinamool won 22 and BJP 2 in 2019. Trinamool offered Congress two to five seats in West Bengal.
Derek O’Brien, however, said there has been no change in the party’s stance that Trinamool will contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. , “A few weeks ago…West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that TMC is fighting all the 42 seats in Bengal. We are also in the fray in a few seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. There is no change in this position,” Derek said.
