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New Delhi: The Congress get together is about to subject the least variety of Lok Sabha candidates since Independence within the 2024 nationwide elections, primarily on account of its seat pacts with allies of the INDIA bloc — the most important such pre-poll alliance for the grand outdated get together at a time when its tally has diminished dramatically over the past two normal elections.
The Congress has up to now introduced 278 candidates from 27 states and all eight Union territories, and is but to announce candidates from Haryana. The get together will announce just a few extra seats in Bihar, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and two seats in UP — Rae Bareli and Amethi — and a few seats from West Bengal. The sum complete of those is anticipated so as to add roughly one other 20 seats.
Its tally of seats contested will, due to this fact, be means wanting the variety of what it was in earlier elections. Based on the Election Fee information, the Congress contested 421 seats in 2019, 464 in 2014, 440 in 2009, and 417 in 2004, which is the bottom variety of seats it has contested thus far of the 543 up for grabs within the normal elections. To place these numbers (and the get together’s slide) in perspective,the Congress gained 52 seats in 2019, 44 in 2014, 206 in 2009 and 145 in 2004.
Between 1989 and 1999, when the coalition-era grew to become an integral a part of Indian elections, the Congress get together nonetheless fielded candidates in over 450 seats. It had 453 candidates in 1999, 477 in 1998, 529 in 1996, 487 in 1991 (500 together with Punjab — elections for the state have been held in 1992), and 510 in 1989.
“We might not be contesting in numerous seats. However undoubtedly we are going to contest in additional than 272 seats,” stated a senior Congress strategist about its low numbers this time. 272 is the minimal variety of candidates required to get a majority within the Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress has already conceded numerous seats to its allies in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu — the 4 states that account for 201 seats. In these 4 states, the Congress may have —17 candidates in UP together with Amethi and Rae Bareli, 9 in Bihar, 9 in Tamil Nadu, and has introduced 13 up to now in Bengal.
The get together may also contest fewer seats in Maharashtra, the most important electoral state after Uttar Pradesh. Out of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Congress is fielding candidates in 17, leaving 21 and 10 for its allies Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationwide Congress Social gathering (SP), respectively. Within the final two elections, the get together fought 25 and 26 seats within the state.
The Congress has additionally made a pact with the Aam Aadmi Social gathering (AAP) for Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana. In these three locations, the Congress has conceded six seats to its alliance companion.
“You’ll be able to’t presumably examine the INDIA bloc with the United Progressive Alliance because the UPA was a post-poll association (in 2004) whereas INDIA is a pre-poll alliance. We’re not sad with the variety of seats we bought. In an alliance, greater events should give area to smaller outfits,” stated a second senior strategist of the get together.
In all of the 4 conferences of the INDIA bloc ranging from Patna to the final one in Delhi, the allies had requested the Congress get together to be extra “versatile” and “beneficiant” in seat pacts.
“We now have accommodated events the place we have now fought alone earlier. In Gujarat and Haryana, we have now shared seats with AAP for the primary time. That is our first Lok Sabha alliance with Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Left events. The pact with Samajwadi Social gathering has prolonged to incorporate Madhya Pradesh, naturally we have now given up some seats,” stated the primary Congress chief cited above.
A 3rd Congress chief argued that the scale of the seat pact for the Congress is “not that vital” because the get together is preventing this election as a part of the INDIA alliance.
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