Congress-TMC seat sharing talks back on after Mamata Banerjee snub
Seat-sharing talks between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress party are back on the table again. The TMC is willing to give the Congress two to five seats in West Bengal out of a total of 42, reports said. The development comes a month after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said that her party will contest the Lok Sabha elections alone in the state, citing failed seat-sharing talks with the Congress.
Why does this story matter?
An agreement in West Bengal could boost the morale of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), especially after the departure of Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal United (JDU). In the last few days, the Congress has been quickly finalizing previously stalled deals as the general election draws closer. This progress is in line with the goal of the INDIA bloc, which was formed to fight the Bhartiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
West Bengal seat-sharing formula
The TMC might reportedly concede Behrampur, Malda South, Malda North, Raiganj, and Darjeeling to the Congress in West Bengal. In exchange, the TMC wants the Congress to give two seats in Assam and the Tura Lok Sabha seat in Meghalaya. The Banerjee-led party says it should contest from Tura, as it received 28% of the votes in the 2019 election. The Congress, on the other hand, received only 9% of the votes.
AAP-Congress agreement in Delhi
Seat-sharing talks between the Congress-led INDIA alliance and opposition parties in other states also reached an agreement recently. In Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has reportedly agreed to contest four seats, while the Congress will contest three. The AAP may contest South Delhi, West Delhi, North West Delhi, and New Delhi, while the Congress may contest Chandni Chowk, East Delhi, and North East Delhi constituencies. The BJP won all seven seats in both the 2014 and 2019 general elections.
Congress will contest from 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has accepted Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP)'s 17-seat offer. The Congress will contest 17 of the 80 seats, and the rest, 63, will be for the SP and the other INDIA alliance partners. The seat-sharing talks came to a halt after Yadav stated that he would not attend Rahul Gandhi's "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra" until the Congress finalized the deal. On Wednesday morning, Vadra intervened and spoke with Yadav over the phone.