The Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh has made a strong claim against the Congress party. This is a big step forward before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. It is said that the SP offered the Congress 15 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. But there was a catch: the Congress could not run for any other seats as long as the union lasted.
The opposition groups have been having a hard time coming to an agreement on seat-sharing talks, but the offer has made things more difficult for them. Several opposition groups that joined forces last year are set to run against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 elections. However, the Congress and its coalition partners have been having trouble negotiating.
The alliance between the SP and the Congress hangs in the balance, with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav's decision to join the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, contingent upon the acceptance of the offer by the Congress.
"We have had several rounds of discussions and exchanged many lists. When the seat-sharing is done, the Samajwadi Party will participate in their Nyay yatra," Mr. Yadav said.
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is in its 37th day, has functioned as a hub for opposition parties against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. When two well-known Congressmen, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, speak at a public event in Babuganj, the agitation will pick up momentum. However, the Congress has also run into problems when trying to distribute seats among regional parties. In relation to seat-sharing arrangements, Mamata Banerjee of Bengal and Bhagwant Mann of the AAP of Punjab have also rejected the Congress.
After Nitish Kumar, the ninth Chief Minister of Bihar, swore in to establish an alliance government with the BJP, he recently defected, and it is now important that the Congress retain the support of the SP in the opposition alliance. Insiders close to the SP have threatened to split the party from the India bloc if the Congress pursues more seats than the 15 allocated.
Congress can now reply to what the SP has offered. The conclusion of the negotiations will have a significant impact on how the opposition intends to challenge the BJP-led government in the upcoming elections. The opposition is attempting to put together a strong coalition.
(Image Source: multiple agencies)
(Inputs from agencies)
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