NEW DELHI: The road ahead for opposition bloc INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance)could be bumpy if the statements on seat sharing made by some of the key partners is any indication to go by.
Even before the start of any formal discussion on seat sharing,
Uddhav Thackeray
's Shiv Sena has made it clear that it will not compromise on fighting less than 23 seats in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP
Sanjay Raut
has asserted that their party is the biggest in Maharashtra, hinting at no compromise over seat-sharing talks.
"This is Maharashtra, and Shiv Sena is the biggest party here.
Congress
is a national party. Uddhav Thackeray is having positive discussions with the decision-making leaders of Congress including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and KC Venugopal. We have always said that Shiv Sena has always been fighting on 23 seats in the Lok Sabha elections including Dadra and Nagar Haveli and that will be firm," Raut said.
That would leave just 15 seats for the two other partners of Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party. Both these parties have considerable stake in the state and may not agree to give lion's share of seats to Uddhav's party.
In West Bengal,
Mamata Banerjee
has made it clear that is only her Trinamool Congress that is in a position to teach the BJP a lesson.
"INDIA alliance will be there across the country. In Bengal, the TMC will fight and defeat the BJP. Remember, in Bengal, only TMC can teach a lesson to the BJP and not any other party," Mamata said yesterday at a gathering in North 24 Parganas.
The West Bengal unit of the Congress is strongly opposed to any tie-up with the Trinamool Congress and would want to contest the elections with the Left parties. It had contested the assembly elections in alliance with the Left parties. West Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary is known for his strong anti-Mamata stand. However, his support for Mahua Moitra, the Trinamool leader who was expelled from Lok Sabha over cash-for-query charges, could be a glimmer of hope for the two parties to come together against the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls.
The CPM in West Bengal has made it clear that it will stand a "thousand miles away from those showing any weakness for the BJP or the Trinamool Congress".
CPM West Bengal state secretary Md Salim alleged that the ruling party in the state has "reached an understanding" with the saffron brigade for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Asked to clarify the CPM's position vis-a-vis the Congress, he said the Left party will have friendship with those who do not have any touch with the BJP and the TMC.
The grand old party will face a similar dilemma in Delhi and Punjab where
Arvind Kejriwal
's Aam Aadmi Party is the dominant player and will want to dictate terms during seat sharing. A glimpse of the acrimony was already on display in Delhi when the AAP threatened to boycott INDIA meetings after a Congress spokesperson said that the party is gearing up for a strong contest on all the 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The senior Congress leadership had to step in for damage control.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party which is the dominant player and the Congress will face a tough time negotiating seat sharing. The bitterness of failed seat sharing during Madhya Pradesh assembly elections is likely to cast a shadow on the talks.
Clearly, the Congress and all other partners of the INDIA bloc will have to take some tough decisions as they try to balance the coalition needs of Lok Sabha elections and their own interests in the states.
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