Congress: Even though the Congress was able to form alliances with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), its problems are far from finished. In order to come to a seat-sharing agreement in Bengal and Maharashtra, the biggest opposition party is working against the clock. With the general election coming up in a few months, the INDIA alliance has not yet launched its campaign against the powerful election apparatus of the BJP.
Challenges in Bengal Alliance
Getting the Trinamool Congress back to the table in Bengal is a difficult challenge for the Congress. Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal and leader of the Trinamool Party, had earlier said she would go it alone after negotiations over seat-sharing with the Congress broke down. It is understood that the state Congress unit, led by seasoned politician Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, requested roughly ten seats in negotiations, but the Trinamool offered only two.
Mamata Banerjee’s Declaration
Banerjee stated last month that the Congress had rejected all of the Trinamool chief’s suggestions, in response to Chowdhury’s outburst against her, in which he referred to her as a “opportunist”. She declared, “We have decided to fight the elections in Bengal alone,” and indicated that any choice about forming an alliance would be made following the results of the vote.
Ever since, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, has been attempting to win Banerjee back, stating that Chowdhury’s critical comments against the head of the Trinamool Congress “won’t matter”.
Stalemate Over Seat Agreement
Thus far, the two sides have not been able to come to an agreement over seats. Chowdhury is still going after the Trinamool Party, claiming that there are disagreements inside the party about whether or not to form an alliance with Congress.
“They are in a dilemma. They are not saying officially that the process of forging the alliance has ended. The first dilemma is a section of the party believes that if they contest alone, without the INDIA alliance, then the minorities of West Bengal will vote against them. One section of the TMC wants the alliance to continue. Another section is in another dilemma that if the alliance is given more importance in Bengal, then the Modi government will use ED, and CBI against them. Because of these two dilemmas, the TMC has not been able to make a clear decision,” he has claimed.
Banerjee’s Absence from Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
Due to the dispute, Banerjee was unable to participate in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which was led by Rahul Gandhi and passed through Bengal. This prevented the INDIA bloc from showcasing its strengths, which may have aided the coalition in fending off political assaults from the BJP regarding internal divisions within the Opposition front. If an agreement is reached right away, the two parties will have the difficult task of quickly creating a coordinated campaign strategy and engaging the electorate.
Seat-Sharing Standoff in Maharashtra
The INDIA group has not yet unveiled a seat-sharing scheme in Maharashtra. The last stages of talks are being held between the Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led group of the NCP, and Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Uddhav Thackeray) as part of Maha Vikas Aghadi.
It is rumoured that Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, spoke with Thackeray about a standoff. Three of Mumbai’s six Lok Sabha seats—Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North Central, and Mumbai North West—are reportedly up for election by the Congress. Eighteen Lok Sabha seats are in the state that Thackeray is apparently planning to run for, including four in Mumbai: Mumbai South, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, and Mumbai South Central. To resolve the standoff, the two leaders talked for an hour.
Losses in Maharashtra Congress
In Maharashtra, the Congress has also experienced losses due to the departure of three prominent members: Milind Deora, Ashok Chavan, and Baba Siddique. There is no discord in the coalition, according to State Congress Chief Nana Patole, who also emphasised that MVA will do well in the next elections.
“There are no disagreements or dispute on the issue of seat sharing among the MVA allies. It is the ruling Mahayuti which is in turmoil due to lack of coordination. The people of Maharashtra will show BJP and its allies their place in the coming elections,” Patole said.
Impact of Party Breakup in Maharashtra
The breakup of the two major parties in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena and NCP, and the departure of their leaders, Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, from the party name and emblem, present a significant challenge to the INDIA bloc.
Educating voters about their new name and symbol would be a major responsibility in order to make sure that people, particularly in rural and underdeveloped areas, are aware of which symbol to use while casting their ballot. To take against the BJP, the three parties will need to launch coordinated campaigns as soon as the seat-sharing agreement is finalised. Polls are only a few months away, so they have a very little window of time.
Seat-Sharing Triumph in Uttar Pradesh
The Congress was able to finalise seat-sharing agreements with the two main Indian groups, the SP and the AAP, following months of political posturing and hardballing. The Congress has taken 17 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. In exchange, it awarded the party led by Akhilesh Yadav one seat in Madhya Pradesh. The Grand Old Party and AAP have agreed seat-sharing arrangements for Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi. Despite their intense rivalry, the two parties have decided to go alone through Punjab.
Harmony in Punjab Alliance
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi and leader of the AAP, has stated that there is no animosity amongst the allies regarding the Punjab arrangement. The Congress is going to run for three of the seven seats in Delhi. Furthermore, the AAP will contest two of Gujarat’s twenty-six seats. The Congress and AAP will compete for eight and one seats in Haryana, respectively. Under the agreement, Congress received two seats in Goa and the seat in Chandigarh.
AAP’s Victory in Bharuch Sparks Discontent
Balancing the sentiments of grassroots leaders with the overarching objective of defeating the BJP, however, would be a significant problem in these seats. For instance, there has been a lot of backlash after the AAP won the Bharuch seat, which was held by the late Ahmed Patel, a veteran of the Congress.
Congressmen are angry, according to leaders in the party, including Patel’s son Faisal Ahmed Patel, who stated that the party should have kept the seat only on the basis of winnability. While the AAP has stated that it will meet with the Congress shortly to discuss a plan of action for this important seat, it might not be simple to come to a consensus.