INDIA Bloc’s Seat-sharing Sealed In These States

The Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra has sealed an agreement for the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats just 10 days before the election kick-off, as announced by senior leaders on Tuesday. Under the arrangement, the Shiv Sena faction led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray secures the largest share, with 21 seats, while the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are allocated 17 and 10 seats respectively.

In Mumbai, the distribution sees the Sena contesting four out of six seats in North West, South Central, South, and South East, with the Congress taking the remaining two in North and North Central. Contentious seats like Bhiwandi and Sangli, claimed by all three parties, have been resolved, with the NCP and Sena each getting one.

Congress leader Nana Patole expressed satisfaction, asserting that their workers would fully support MVA candidates in all constituencies. He criticized the ruling BJP, characterizing their governance as dictatorial and stressing the coalition’s collective
mission to oust them.

Uddhav Thackeray echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the necessity of unity to achieve their goal of defeating the BJP. He expressed confidence in the alliance’s ability to secure victory and urged the people to make their decision at the polls.

Mr. Pawar mentioned that announcements regarding candidates for the remaining seats will be made shortly. This allocation agreement within the MVA follows shortly after Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, which holds significant support among Dalit communities, withdrew from negotiations.

Despite extensive discussions, an agreement couldn’t be reached between the VBA and the tripartite alliance. Mr Ambedkar sought five seats for his party, but reports suggest that the MVA was willing to offer only two.

INDIA alliances and seat-sharing deals in other key states

Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh

The Congress and the National Conference (NC) have also disclosed their agreement on seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh. Both parties will be allocated three seats each. Under this arrangement, the Congress will field candidates in Udhampur, Jammu, and Ladakh constituencies, while the National Conference will contest in Anantnag, Baramulla, and Srinagar.

The joint announcement was made by National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a press conference held in New Delhi alongside Congress representatives. This development follows closely after Mehbooba Mufti, the chief of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), declared her party’s withdrawal from the opposition-led INDIA alliance, opting to contest all seats in Kashmir independently.

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The decision stemmed from Omar Abdullah’s alleged ‘non-cooperation’ regarding seat-sharing. Notably, Mehbooba Mufti is set to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency. Other prominent candidates, like Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) and NC’s Mian Altaf Ahmad, are also vying for the same seat. Hasnain Masoodi of the NC currently holds the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

This shift away from the INDIA bloc may have implications for the People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a political coalition advocating for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

The Lok Sabha elections in the Union Territory are scheduled across the first five phases on April 19 (Udhampur), April 26 (Jammu), May 7 (Anantnag-Rajouri), May 13 (Srinagar), and May 20 (Baramulla), with vote counting slated for June 4.

Delhi

After several rounds of discussions, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have finalized their agreement on seat-sharing for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.

Leaders from both parties have confirmed a four-seat-sharing formula, with AAP contesting four seats and Congress three. AAP is set to compete in the South Delhi, New Delhi, West Delhi, and Northwest Delhi constituencies, leaving East and Northeast Delhi and Chandni Chowk to the Congress fold. Lok Sabha elections in the national capital will take place in a single phase on May 25.

Bihar

In Bihar, the INDIA Bloc has announced its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls starting April 19, 2024. The RJD has been allocated 26 seats, while the Congress and the left bloc have received nine and five seats, respectively. Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, officially announced the number and names of candidates for all 40 Lok Sabha seats at a joint press conference held in RJD headquarters.

Amidst this, Bihar leader Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, has created a dilemma for the Congress party by refusing to withdraw his candidacy from the Purnea Lok Sabha seat, despite it being allocated to their alliance partner, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Yadav, who merged his Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) with Congress earlier, has stirred controversy within the Mahaghatbandhan coalition. Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh emphasized that the issue isn’t up for discussion within the Congress. Yadav’s decision has thrown a wrench in the seat-sharing formula, leaving the Congress in a tight spot.

The Lok Sabha election in Bihar will be held in all 7 phases from 19 April to 1 June, with the results declared on 4 June.

Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh

Moving to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) eventually agreed on seat-sharing for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

This development comes after a period of intense negotiations, conflicting signals, and public disagreements, particularly following the Rashtriya Lok Dal’s exit from the INDIA Bloc. This agreement is a significant step for the Opposition as it prepares to challenge the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state.

In Uttar Pradesh, the compromise between the two parties dictates that the Congress will contest 17 seats, while the SP will contest for the remaining 63 seats. There’s a possibility that the SP might accommodate its sole remaining ally, the Apna Dal of Pallavi Patel, within that figure.

Additionally, there’s a discussion regarding the inclusion of Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad from west UP, who leads the Azad Samaj Party, given the bloc’s lack of a Dalit face in the absence of the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party, which has decided to go solo.

Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, where the SP holds lesser influence, the party will contest only one seat, Khajuraho, while the Congress will contest the remaining 28 seats.

The Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases from 19 April to 1 June, and in Madhya Pradesh, it will be held in four phases between 19 April and 13 May 2024 to elect 29 members of the 18th Lok Sabha.

This seat-sharing arrangement underscores the strategic collaboration between Congress and other parties in key states, reflecting their collective efforts to challenge the BJP  across numerous Lok Sabha constituencies.