In a major development for the opposition alliance “INDIA Bloc,” the Congress and Samajwadi Party have finalized their seat-sharing agreement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. This marks a crucial step for the group aiming to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024.
Under the deal, the Congress will contest 17 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP, while the Samajwadi Party will field candidates in the remaining 63. This agreement follows intense negotiations and comes a day after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav issued an ultimatum to the Congress.
The Congress will contest key seats like Kanpur Nagar, Fatehpur Sikri, and Basgaon, along with their traditional strongholds of Raebareli and Amethi. However, the party has not yet announced candidates for these high-profile constituencies, leading to speculation about Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s potential electoral debut from Raebareli.
Announcing the deal, Samajwadi Party General Secretary Rajendra Chaudhary warned the BJP, stating that “UP will bring down the BJP government in 2024.” The Congress echoed this sentiment, highlighting the alliance’s aim to “save the country from BJP.”
This agreement marks a significant step towards unity within the INDIA Bloc, which has faced criticism over internal disagreements and the exit of key players like Nitish Kumar’s JD(U). However, the Trinamool Congress in Bengal remains outside the alliance, opting to contest the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats independently.
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