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New Delhi Seat-sharing talks between INDIA bloc partners are yet to take off in a large number of states, 53 days after the Mumbai meeting of the alliance passed a resolution that said “seat-sharing arrangements in different states will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest in a collaborative spirit of give-and-take”.
At least two Opposition parties have put the onus on the Congress—the largest Opposition outfit—for the delay in discussion on seats. “The Congress is waiting for the results of the upcoming elections. They are expecting their tally to go up and then the Congress can have a better bargaining power vis-à-vis other constituents,” said a leader.
A senior Congress leader on Monday afternoon admitted that the seat talks didn’t start. “The Mumbai resolution said that talks would start immediately. It didn’t give a deadline,” the leader argued, “so, it can start after the polls”.
The leader, part of the sub-committees set up at the Mumbai meeting, added, “If we win 3 or 4 of the 5 states, we will have better elbow room to negotiate seats with our allies. But if we get one or two states, it will spell trouble for us in the seat negotiations.”
The Congress, however, is hopeful to increase its tally. Of the five states going to the polls, the Congress rules Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Assembly elections in five states, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram are scheduled next month
The Mumbai meeting, held on August 31 and September 1, saw the alliance shifting to election mode as it announced immediate talks on seat-sharing arrangements, formed five panels including a coordination and election strategy committee and decided to campaign across states on people’s issues.
At the end of the most productive meeting of the alliance so far, leaders reminded each other of the need to pick the maximum common candidates, remain alert to threats to their unity and show flexibility as seat pacts and smooth coordination are decisive factors for the group.
“We were not together earlier. We could not put common candidates in each seat and (Prime Minister) Modi took advantage… We have arrived at a conclusion and an organisation has been formed. We will start seat-sharing arrangements by accommodating everyone. There will be no hurdle,” former Bihar CM and a key INDIA leader Lalu Prasad said after the meeting.
A senior leader said key Opposition leaders held a few rounds of internal discussions. “We divided the states into three categories: A, B and C.”
“A category states are those with pre-existing pacts (Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, J&K). B category states are those where the Congress is the undisputed leader of the INDIA group (MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh). The C category states are the remaining states, where intense negotiations are expected,” said a non-Congress leader, a key member of the group.
Another leader added that the understanding was that by October seat distribution in A and B category states should be over so that enough time can be given to the contentious states of the C category, which include Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh, to reach a favourable arrangement.
“But the delay in seat talks has jeopardised our initial plan,” said the second leader.
The Congress strategist, however, maintained that the INDIA constituents have enough time as the elections are likely to be held in April. The first leader countered this argument and said, “We had a number of discussions on the possibility of early polls. Even if the polls are held as per schedule, the seat adjustments will require some time.”
The Mumbai meeting, the third of the INDIA alliance, passed a resolution that outlined immediate tasks for the grouping. The 28 parties said, “We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to organise public rallies at the earliest in different parts of the country on issues of public concern and importance” and “coordinate our respective communications and media strategies and campaigns with the theme Judega Bharat, Jiteega India in different languages.”
Saubhadra Chatterji is Deputy Political Editor at the Hindustan Times. He writes on both politics and policies.
53 days on, INDIA yet to decide on seat-sharing – Hindustan Times
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