Delhi: INDIA bloc leaders hold meeting to discuss seat-sharing for LS polls

Mamata spoke on how her good relationship with the Congress party deteriorated over time because of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

New Delhi: The meeting of the ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was held in the national capital on Wednesday to discuss the seat-sharing agenda for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, DMK leader TR Baalu, and CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury left Kharge‘s residence after the meeting.

---

Meanwhile, the rift between the INDIA bloc ally partners continued as Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reiterated that she wouldn’t give even a single seat to the Congress party, and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar recently dumped the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and the INDIA bloc to form a new government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state.

“We had given a proposal to the Congress party of two seats in Malda, but, they didn’t agree on that. Now, they won’t get even a single seat in the state,” said Mamata Banerjee.

Mamata spoke on how her good relationship with the Congress party deteriorated over time because of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

“CPM is the number one broker of BJP, I have suffered a lot of beatings from CPM and I will never forgive that. I had good contacts with Congress. Because of CPM, my relationship with the Congress party got spoiled.” The comments from the West Bengal CM come even as Congress sources indicated that they were still attempting to get Mamata on board as a potential ally and that seat-sharing talks in Bengal were only on hold.

“INDIA bloc seat sharing in West Bengal is on hold. TMC and Congress are considering the proposals. TMC is still a part of INDIA Alliance,” the party’s sources said.

Meanwhile, following Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey’s remarks that the Samajwadi Party is adopting a ‘one-sided’ policy in Uttar Pradesh, party’s Chief Akhilesh Yadav asserted on Wednesday that there will be an alliance in the state and that the seats will be allocated ‘properly’ The Samajwadi Party (SP) announced the names of 16 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The SP has offered 11 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh to the Congress.

Both the Congress and the SP are members of the INDIA bloc formed to take on the BJP-led Centre.

“There will be an alliance in Uttar Pradesh and seats will be allocated properly. We will try to throw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of the state,” Yadav said while speaking to ANI in Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri.

“The Samajwadi Party believes that the candidate who can take on the Bharatiya Janata Party will get the ticket. We are not inclined towards any particular candidate. Efforts will be made to defeat the BJP,” he added.

Earlier today, Avinash Pandey said, “The Samajwadi Party is not following the alliance dharma; SP is making one-sided announcements in the alliance. The list released yesterday also included many seats on which the Congress Party had a claim. What the Samajwadi party is doing is very dangerous and Congress itself is not getting information about it.” Earlier, Nitish Kumar took the oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time in Raj Bhawan, Patna, switching sides again, this time with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

It was for the second time in two years that Nitish Kumar had jumped the ship, his fifth crossover in a little over a decade.

INDIA or ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’ is a group of opposition parties, including the Congress. The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.