INDIA may reach consensus on 400+ Lok Sabha seats
Congress willing to share seats in its bastion too
Irrespective of the skirmish among the INDI Alliance comprising 28 parties, it is expected that consensus may finally emerge on more than 400 Lok Sabha seats out of 543 seats.
According to backroom boys working to identify seats and states where allies could give a one-to-one fight to the BJP in May 2024, the number may turn out to be even higher. Though certain leaders are throwing tantrums due to one reason or the other. But they are facing a challenge of their survival post 2024 Lok Sabha polls. They are fully aware about their fate if PM Modi returns to his third term with a mandate of 300 plus Lok Sabha seats.
A senior Congress leader who is part of negotiations said, “We are targeting for 450 Lok Sabha seats where consensus can be achieved. There are seats in every state where some friendly fights may take place. But INDIA will give a straight fight to the BJP on 400 plus seats for sure.”
The Congress leadership has an open mind in conceding seats to INDIA partners in its own bastions like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Gujarat, Tripura and other states if it helps defeating the BJP, said the source.
But there are states where it's a barren land for INDIA partners like Andhra Pradesh (25) and Odisha (21). The Congress is looking at a tie-up with TDP in Andhra and TMC & JD(U) & other parties in Odisha. Then there are states like Telangana (17) and Karnataka (28) where no Opposition party has any claim to seats. The alliance already exists in Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and a couple of smaller states. There are hiccups in UP (80 seats), West Bengal (42 seats) and some North Eastern states. These will take time but a solution will be found in the weeks to come. The fact that the Congress has scaled down the number of LS seats it will contest from 350 to 260 has sent a positive message to other partners.
