Congress’ former leader Sanjay Jha on Tuesday advised that Congress must seal alliance on seat distribution with Samajwadi Party. This statement comes from the former Congress leader amid talk that the Samajwadi Party (SP) is offering around 17 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.
Sanjay Jha, claimed if Congress did not seal seat sharing alliance in Uttar Pradesh, it would only facilitate Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) winning probability in Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats.
“Put ego aside, smell the coffee, folks. The largest party of the INDIA alliance needs to lead the way.” the former Congress leader advised the grand old party.
The Congress Tuesday said seat-sharing talks with other parties of the INDIA bloc are on and things will be finalised at any point of time.
“We are on the process. Our alliance team is there and Congress president has appointed a team of leaders for alliance,” Congress general K C Venugopal said, adding day after day, they are discussing with everybody.
The Samajwadi Party had on Monday declared 11 more candidates from Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming general elections, including don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s brother and BSP MP Afzal Ansari.
On January 30, the SP had announced its first list of candidates for 16 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav made his participation in the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, conditional to a decision on seat sharing, saying that he will be joining it the moment the seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are decided between the two parties.
The state has 80 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Even as Congress has faced hiccups in its alliance talks with Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, party leader KC Venugopal exuded confidence about finding a solution in talks with INDIA bloc parties, saying the negotiations are in “final stage” and “anytime it can be finalised”.
Notably, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has not joined Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, currently in Uttar Pradesh, and has he would join it only after seat sharing is finalised.
Meanwhile, a week after tendering his resignation from the post of Samajwadi Party national general secretary, Swami Prasad Maurya on Tuesday resigned from the party’s primary membership and the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and announced formation of a new party.
Maurya resigned as the party’s national general secretary on February 13, accusing the leadership of discriminating against him and not defending him over his statements on the Ramcharitmanas and the Ayodhya temple consecration ceremony.
Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May this year.
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Published: 20 Feb 2024, 06:22 PM IST