Rift in INDIA over MP, Chhattisgarh seat-sharing
Sources within the Congress, the SP, and the AAP have stated that the apparent breakdown in alliance talks could have an impact on the INDIA bloc’s plans in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Akhilesh Yadav
NEW DELHI: The five-State Assembly elections due this month have brought to the fore strained relationship among the major stakeholders of the four-month-old Opposition INDIA coalition alliance after the breakdown of Congress-Samajwadi Party seat-sharing talks in Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh.
While SP is also considering fielding candidates in Chhattisgarh, after Madhya Pradesh -- where the party announced a third list of two candidates on Friday -- another major stakeholder in the INDIA bloc, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has also proceeded to announce its candidates in MP, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram.
Sources within the Congress, the SP, and the AAP have stated that the apparent breakdown in alliance talks could have an impact on the INDIA bloc’s plans in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Uttar Pradesh Cong chief blames SP for Madhya Pradesh row
After Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s outburst over Congress not sharing seats in Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, UPCC president Ajay Rai hit back on Friday saying the SP cannot blame his party as it released its list of candidates before the Congress and was benefiting the BJP by contesting separately.
Yadav had on Thursday hinted that the Congress could get the same treatment from his party in Uttar Pradesh after it did not leave any seat for the SP in Madhya Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party (SP) announced its third list of two candidates on Thursday night. With this, it has announced 33 candidates for the November 17 polls.
According to insiders from both parties, the Congress had apparently agreed to leave six seats for SP in MP but the seat-sharing arrangement did not materialise.
Rai in a statement said the people of Uttar Pradesh want to know that “when our party was talking to SP about seats (in MP), why did Samajwadi Party release the list of its candidates before Congress released the list of candidates?”
Rai asked, “Akhilesh Yadav is himself saying that he wanted six seats, then what is the point of fielding candidates on 30 seats, who will benefit from it?”
