The seat-sharing issues in the INDIA bloc seem to be increasing day by day as the Congress-appointed committee opens talks with its regional allies over the seats in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While there were obvious issues in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Janata Dal (United) of Bihar has now also joined the bandwagon.
After the Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT), it is Janata Dal United that is steadfast in its demand for 16 seats in Bihar.
JD(U) says Nitish Kumar should be the face of the Prime Minister
Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) leader Gopal Mandal repeated his jibe at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and said, “The next Prime Minister should be Nitish Kumar. He traveled around the country and founded the INDIA alliance. No one is capable of becoming Prime Minister except Nitish Kumar.”
“Kharge?…I don't even know his name. Nobody knows him, everyone knows who Nitish Kumar is… Even if we give 40 seats to Congress, will they be able to win? Congress will not be able to win a single seat in Bhagalpur… Congress may be the largest party in the country, but not in Bihar,” Mandal told ANI.
This is not the first time that Mandal has rejected Kharge. Last year in December, he said no one knows Kharge and said the public will not accept him, calling the Congress chairman “Kharge-Farge”.
JD-U leader KC Tyagi on Monday said the JDU and RJD are in a position to counter the BJP in Bihar, having won 16 seats and will not compromise there.
The JDU leader also took a jibe at the Congress and stated that the latter is only concerned about the party.
“Congress is free to decide on the chairman. They are worried about their own party and we are worried about the alliance,” Tyagi said. '
Speaking on the face of the mega alliance Prime Minister, KC Tyagi said, “The Janata Dal-United is the organizing body of the INDIA bloc. Nitish Kumar is the face behind the formation of the alliance, and this post is much bigger than that. of the Congress leader.”
The JDU currently has 16 seats in Bihar; 17 are held by the BJP and the RJD has no Lok Sabha seat in the state.
TMC vs Congress in seat allocation for Bengal
Seat-sharing hit a rough patch when in West Bengal, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee and Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury sparred over the number of seats to be allotted to the Congress.
CM Mamata Banerjee had reportedly said that two seats would be allotted to Congress, which according to the grand old party, are already the seats they have won. CM Mamata Banerjee has hinted at the possibility of going solo for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for West Bengal.
According to an NDTV report, the Congress is now pushing for 10 seats (including the two it won in the 2019 polls). In the 2019 polls, the Trinamool won 22 seats, the Congress two (Behrampore and Malda South) and the BJP 18.
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Published: Jan 9, 2024 11:01am IST
