'All is well...': Akhilesh hints at seat-sharing agreement with Congress
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday indicated that seat-sharing discussions with the Congress for Uttar Pradesh's 80 Lok Sabha seats were close to being finalized. "All is well that ends well. Yes, there will be an alliance...there is no conflict. Everything will be clear soon," Yadav told reporters. The SP is likely to contest 62 seats, leaving 17 for the Congress and one for Chandrashekhar Azad's Azad Samaj Party, NDTV reported.
Why does this story matter?
The announcement comes just two days after the SP "offered" UP's 15 Lok Sabha seats to its Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partner, the Congress. On Tuesday, Yadav had given the Congress an ultimatum of sorts saying that he would only participate in Rahul Gandhi's "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra" if the details on seat-sharing are finalized. Notably, the INDIA bloc, formed to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 elections, has been struggling with seat-sharing arrangements.
Seat swaps, compromises in alliance
According to reports, the Congress has agreed to relinquish its claim to the Moradabad seat, which was won by the SP's ST Hasan in 2019. In exchange, the SP will drop its demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency, Varanasi. The two parties may also trade Sitapur and Hathras seats. The SP has also been offered either Bulandshahr or Mathura in return for the Shravasti seat. An official announcement is likely soon, reports said.
Priyanka Gandhi's role in rescuing alliance talks
Earlier this week, the Congress-SP negotiations appeared to have collapsed but were reportedly saved by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. According to reports, she ironed out the details and contacted Yadav and Gandhi for their approval. Former party chief Sonia Gandhi also played a crucial role in assisting state leaders in recognizing some of their demands as "unreasonable" and "unrealistic."
Struggles for INDIA bloc ahead of Lok Sabha polls
The opposition INDIA bloc, recently lost Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a key leader, who joined hands with the BJP. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Aam Aadmi Party have announced they will go solo in Bengal and, Punjab and Haryana, respectively. Given these challenges, it was crucial for the Congress to maintain its relationship with the SP, which has already announced candidates for 16 seats.
