Two broad questions are acting as a hurdle in the INDIA bloc talks in Uttar Pradesh: how many and which seats will the Samajwadi Party give up for the Congress to contest? The spat has spilt out into the public domain. At least two MPs from either side have turned the disagreement over seat distribution into a personality clash, with both promoting their respective leaders as the spearhead of the combined front. Exacerbating an already delicate situation is a raging debate within the Congress about whether to demand more seats from the Akhilesh Yadav-led party or settle for constituencies where it is organisationally and politically strong.
However, Samajwadi Party MP from Kairana, Iqra Hasan, on Tuesday touched a raw nerve by stating that Akhilesh Yadav is the only one who could defeat the BJP. The two parties have already been squabbling over the seats deal. He didn’t stop at eulogising his leader. He warned the Samajwadi Party of a fate similar to the Trinamool Congress, which fragmented into three pieces after the BJP dislodged it from power in West Bengal. “People from the TMC were also saying a lot. Look at what happened in Bengal. The public exchange reflects an internal struggle between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party. They want more seats for the party. Masood has been warning the SP that the Congress might chart a different course if the seat-sharing deal is delayed. The Congress politicians who demand a larger number of seats for the party argue that Rahul Gandhi’s various issues and political battles have created the necessary momentum. He argued that seats should be winnable, where the party’s cadre and position are strong. Many agree with this opinion.
“On its own, the Congress won’t be able to achieve much,” she added. Let us move together, and we will remain in peace,” he said, hinting at the fact that the Mamata Banerjee-led party decided to contest the April-May polls. Several Congress leaders, including UP in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam and Imran Masood, are constantly and deftly pressuring Akhilesh Yadav to consent to a swift seat-sharing agreement, according to sources. Those opposed to the idea, according to sources, say that if they continue to demand more seats, the SP will offer weak seats where the Congress has neither a strong position nor any hope of winning. A senior UP Congress leader said in an off-the-record conversation that offering more seats could prove to be detrimental to the chances of the alliance to defeat the BJP.
