General Lok Sabha Elections 2024, are just 2 months away, but INDIA bloc of opposition parties that was formed against BJP, is witnessing growing rifts between the involved parties on seat sharing. Regional parties are giving a tough time to Congress leading to growing friction and diminishing trust within the members.
On Thursday, in West Bengal, Congress and TMC became involved in a clash when the Congress Bengal President slashed Mamata Banerjee, chief of the Trinamool Congress, for offering only two out of the state's 42 Lok Sabha seats.
Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in a press conference in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, asserted that his party doesn't want Mamata Banerjee's ‘pity’ and is confident that the party will win more seats independently.
Chowdhury said that these 2 seats already have Congress MPs, and the party is very capable of retaining them this time too. He questioned the favour TMC claims to be doing for his party. He said the Trinamool needs the Congress more.
He said "The true face of Mamata Banerjee is out. They (TMC) are saying that they are ready to give us two seats in West Bengal. The seats in question are already with us. Both these constituencies elected Congress MPs. So, what new are they giving us? We won these seats defeating Mamata Banerjee's TMC and the BJP. Are they doing us a favour?
Adding to his statement he said, "Who will trust her (Mamata Banerjee)? It is Mamata who needs Congress to win... Congress can fight and is capable of winning more seats on its own. We will show. We don't need to keep these two seats out of Mamata's pity.”
Adhir Chowdhury said that the TMC was “not serious about strengthening or forging an alliance in Bengal".
“The TMC is busy pleasing and serving Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect themselves from the CBI and the ED. The Congress is not going to beg before TMC for seats; we don't need their alms. Who are they to decide how many seats the party will contest? If needed, we will fight on our own; let the party high command take a call on it," he told reporters.
TMC’s response
TMC Leader Kunal Ghosh slamming the Congress Bengal Chief, said, "Adhir Chowdhury is behaving like a BJP person. In the 2021 Assembly polls, TMC fought the battle alone but Adhir Chowdhury's party fought in alliance with CPM and got zero seats. What is he talking about? TMC doesn't need anybody to fight the BJP, but for the sake of INDIA alliance, our leader Mamata Banerjee is fully cooperating. But, Congress is playing a double-faced game.”
Last month, Mamata Banerjee hinted towards TMC independently contesting the Lok Sabha elections as ehile She addressing to her party workers that she claimed that no party except TMC independently is capable to stand against BJP in West Bengal.
In 2021, in West Bengal Assembly Polls, TMC outperformed BJP and Mamata returned as the Chief Minister, in contrast to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when BJP secured 18 out of 42 seats, giving a stellar performance. West Bengal has then been a contest between 2 parties BJP and TMC.
Seat Sharing Issues in Other States
As per reports, Seat Sharing issue is not just limited to West Bengal, but an arising challenge for the INDIA alliance in states including Bihar, Punjab, UP and Kerala. Regional parties are negotiating firmly with the Congress, leading to major friction points in the alliance. In all the four meetings to this date, discussions on Seat Sharing have not yet taken place.
In Punjab, both the AAP and the Congress have indicated their intention to contest the elections independently.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring stated that the AICC instructed them to compete on all 13 seats. In a recent meeting, there was no discussion regarding seat sharing or alliance in Punjab. Warring emphasised their preparedness to contest all 13 seats, and discussions on candidates and election strategy are anticipated in the coming 3-4 months. Additionally, the two parties have been engaging in mutual criticism in Delhi.
In December, Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that ‘Shiv Sena’ is big in Maharashtra and Uddhav Thackeray is talking positively with Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Shiv Sena aims to contest in at least 23 seats, as they have in the past, in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
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