Scheduled for January 4, the Congress party is gearing up for a pivotal meeting at its headquarters, wherein deliberations will focus on finalizing the seat-sharing formula. This proposed formula will subsequently be presented to the INDIA bloc allies, as per credible sources familiar with the matter.
To pave the way for this crucial meeting, the Congress's National Alliance Committee, entrusted with the responsibility of orchestrating seat-sharing negotiations with allies within the INDIA bloc, diligently conducted a series of meetings last week. These sessions, involving discussions with the party's state units, aimed to arrive at a consensual decision regarding the seat-sharing arrangement for the impending Lok Sabha elections. Notably, the Congress's alliance panel engaged with leaders representing over ten states during these deliberations.
It has come to light that the Congress is contemplating a robust strategy, contemplating contesting in more than 290 seats independently, while also actively participating in states where it forges alliances, according to sources in the know.
To formulate a comprehensive strategy, the alliance panel meticulously gathered feedback from party leaders regarding the outcomes of the 2019 polls, both in terms of seats won and those where the Congress faced setbacks. The exhaustive meetings included interactions with party leaders from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, and Jharkhand.
The findings from these extensive discussions have already been communicated to the party's high command. The alliance committee has been tasked with compiling detailed notes for each state, a process that might involve delegating a committee member for state-specific negotiations.
Furthermore, Congress leaders hailing from various states have been summoned for the impending meeting on January 4. The party's strategic outlook is starting to take shape, with tentative plans for contested seats across several states. These include projections for contesting on 2 seats in Jammu and Kashmir; 1 in Ladakh; 6 in Punjab and 1 in Chandigarh; 4 in Himachal Pradesh; 10 in Haryana; 3 in Delhi; 25 in Rajasthan; 29 in Madhya Pradesh; 11 in Chhattisgarh; 15-20 in Uttar Pradesh; 5 in Uttarakhand; 6-8 in Bihar; 26 in Gujarat; 21 in Odisha; 6-10 in Bengal; 25 in Andhra Pradesh; 17 in Telangana; 28 in Karnataka; 16-20 in Maharashtra; 8 in Tamil Nadu; 16 in Kerala; 25 in the northeast; 2 in Goa; and 7 in Jharkhand. This extensive planning demonstrates the meticulous approach being adopted by the Congress in the run-up to the forthcoming elections.
