In a strategic move amidst emerging differences within the INDIA bloc, the Congress party is deliberating over fielding candidates in 255 seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, according to sources. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, along with party leader Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal, held a crucial meeting on Thursday to discuss the party’s electoral strategy.
The leaders conveyed the party’s willingness to reduce its contested seats compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, hinting at a more focused approach with 255 seats. The Congress, anticipating seat-sharing negotiations within the opposition INDIA bloc, has instructed its members to initiate talks promptly with other alliance parties.
During a separate meeting, Kharge reportedly emphasized the significance of the party’s strategic focus on 255 seats. This move comes against the backdrop of multiple clashes and disagreements with regional parties within the INDIA bloc, notably in states like West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Punjab.
In West Bengal, tensions have risen between the Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury-led Congress and INDIA bloc ally Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) over seat-sharing. The Congress leaders from West Bengal are advocating for a larger share, challenging the TMC’s proposed allocation of two seats.
Similar conflicts have surfaced in Punjab between the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress. Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, Sanjay Raut of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena has suggested that the Congress initiate seat-sharing talks due to its perceived lack of electoral success in the state.
The opposition INDIA bloc is yet to finalize its seat-sharing arrangements for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, the Congress seems to be pre-emptively addressing potential disagreements with regional allies. The party had faced challenges in seat-sharing negotiations with the Samajwadi Party ahead of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, which resulted in a less favorable outcome for the Congress.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the Congress contested 421 seats but secured victory in only 52. It participated in alliances with regional parties in several states, and the current move to focus on 255 seats reflects a calculated approach to streamline its electoral strategy in the upcoming polls.
