Amid a flurry of political realignments preceding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and its allies within the INDIA bloc find themselves at an impasse regarding seat-sharing negotiations. The latest setback comes from the Samajwadi Party (SP) led by Akhilesh Yadav, which has proposed a stringent condition for extending support to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. Sources indicate that the SP has offered the Congress a mere 15 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
This proposal underscores the diminishing electoral clout of the Congress, particularly evident from its report card in Uttar Pradesh during the 2019 polls – securing just one seat in Raebareli and Rahul Gandhi losing Amethi to Smriti Irani. The Congress had won 52 seats across India.
Unlike in 2019, when the SP refrained from contesting in Amethi and Raebareli out of courtesy, this time, they are resolute that the Congress can only contest the 15 seats offered, should the alliance materialise. Murmurs within the SP suggest a potential rupture in the INDIA bloc should the Congress demand more than the allocated seats, reports suggest.
Akhilesh Yadav”s participation in the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi, hinges upon the Congress”s acceptance of the seat allocation offer, insiders reveal. The Yatra will arrive in Amethi today. It will then enter Raebareli, where the Samajwadi Party chief had earlier said he would join.
“We have had several rounds of discussions, exchanged many lists. When the seat-sharing is done, Samajwadi Party will participate in their Nyay Yatra,” Yadav told reporters today.
While the Congress is yet to formally respond to the SP”s proposition, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, now in its 37th day, continues to galvanize opposition forces against the BJP regime. Party leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, are slated to address a public gathering in Babuganj today.
Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc grapples with discord among its approximately 25 constituents regarding seat-sharing arrangements. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has opted to contest independently in Punjab, and already nominated three candidates in Assam citing delays in finalising seat-sharing with the Congress. In Delhi, the AAP has offered just one of the seven Lok Sabha seats to the Congress.
Mamata Banerjee”s Trinamool Congress has also resolved to contest solo in West Bengal after the state Congress rebuffed their offer for two seats.
Farooq Abdullah declared that the National Conference would contest the elections autonomously in Jammu and Kashmir. The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), previously aligned with the INDIA bloc, recently defected to the NDA under Jayant Chaudhary”s leadership, further complicating the opposition landscape.
