Lok Sabha elections: Congress starts seat-sharing talks with INDIA allies
Members of the Congress's National Alliance Committee (NAC) have begun seat-sharing talks with its Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) allies for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. They reportedly met Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders for preliminary discussions in Bihar on Sunday. The JD(U) and RJD have already conveyed to the grand old party that they want to contest 16-17 seats each and that the Congress and the Left parties can run for the remaining seats.
Why does this story matter?
With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections quickly approaching, several members of the opposition INDIA bloc are allegedly keen to finalize the seat-sharing arrangements. Seat sharing is being viewed as a vital aspect of the INDIA bloc allies, especially after several of the alliance leaders stressed the significance of creating a one-on-one fight with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, some states could be tricky for the INDIA allies where they are each other's competitors at present.
Congress's positive first round of talks with Bihar allies
Reports quoting insiders said the Congress's five-member National Alliance Committee, headed by veteran leader Mukul Wasnik, held a "positive" first round of talks with its INDIA bloc allies in Bihar. Furthermore, the Congress hoped that a solution agreeable to all like-minded parties in Bihar would soon emerge following the talks with RJD leader Manoj Jha and JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha.
Seats for Congress in Bihar too less: AICC sources
Earlier, Bihar's ruling JD(U) and RJD indicated they would want 17 seats each, while the Congress could contest five. According to Hindustan Times, a senior All India Congress Committee (AICC) leader has said, "Five Lok Sabha seats for the Congress party in Bihar are too less to be contented for the party workers." "This time, however, the situation is different, and so are the challenges. But the Congress...won't be willing to let the party workers down," added the leader.
Congress's push to build alliances in key states
The Congress has pre-poll alliances with parties like the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in Jharkhand but has no tie-ups with some main parties in several other states. This could create a tricky situation among the INDIA members for the Lok Sabha polls. The most contentious of these include Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi, and Punjab, where Congress insiders have allegedly acknowledged the difficulty of having seat-sharing arrangements with INDIA bloc allies.
Recalling NDA's success in Bihar during 2019 elections
The opposition INDIA alliance will put up a fight to prevent the BJP from winning in Bihar. However, it is pertinent to note that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 39 of the 40 seats during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. While the BJP won all 17 seats it contested, six were won by its NDA ally, the then-united Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which has now split into two factions.
