New Delhi: The Congress and AAP finalized their seat-sharing arrangement on Thursday, with AAP, who rules in Delhi, to contest on 4 out of seven Lok Sabha seats, and Congress on 3, say AAP sources. In the last elections, the BJP had bagged all seven seats.
Initially, AAP had offered just one seat to Congress. Earlier this week, Delhi chief minister and AAP chief said the seat-sharing agreement between the two parties has reached the final stage, even though he lamented that the the discussions were "much delayed."
Cong in talks with WB CM
The Delhi deal, following the Samajwadi Party giving 17 seat to the Congress on Wednesday in return for two seats in Gujarat, marks the progress of the alliances in the INDIA bloc. The Congress is also in talks with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the alliance with her Trinamul Congress, days after she declared that the TMC will contest all seats in Bengal.
While neither the Congress nor Rahul Gandhi has confirmed his candidature from Amethi, the Congress scion may return to regain his former constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in a stiff challenge from Union minister Smriti Irani who defeated him in the last general election.
In the pact signed with the Samajwadi Party, the Congress will fight from 17 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh while the Akhilesh Yadav-led party will decide on who contests on the remaining 63 constituencies.
