New Delhi, Jan 5, 2024: In a strategic maneuver, the Congress party has declared its intention to concentrate on 255 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, signaling a potential reduction from its 2019 contest. Pressured by allies within the INDIA bloc, the party’s leadership, including President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, met to greenlight seat-sharing talks with INDIA alliance partners.
During a separate meeting with key party officials, Kharge underscored the significance of the 255-seat focus, suggesting the Congress’s flexibility to accommodate INDIA alliance partners. Acknowledging the challenges of seat-sharing, especially in states like Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh, the party is gearing up for negotiations on a state-to-state basis.
While the AAP has signaled willingness for a seat-sharing pact in Punjab, caution prevails within the state Congress unit due to the AAP’s current governance. In West Bengal, the Congress steers clear of an alliance with the Trinamool Congress, and in Uttar Pradesh, negotiations with the Samajwadi Party indicate a desire for a substantial share of seats.
Mukul Wasnik, the senior Congress leader and convenor of the alliance committee, emphasized the overarching goal of securing a majority for the INDIA alliance to form the central government. The exact number of contested seats remains undecided, with the party prioritizing alliance success.
As the Congress gears up for elections, the manifesto committee, led by former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, initiates discussions. Guidelines for state units include the establishment of social media, media war rooms, and control rooms. Kharge urged unity among leaders, discouraging public disputes and internal matters reaching the media. State units are directed to expedite the candidate selection process, anticipating the release of the first list at the earliest.
