After Nitish, Akhilesh to Dump INDI: SP Goes Solo In Releasing Candidates List

Uttar Pradesh: The differences between Congress and Samajwadi Party are far from getting over as the general election approaches. In Uttar Pradesh, the sources close to the Congress leadership claimed that out of 80, only 13 seats have been identified for the Congress party. The final decision on seat sharing will be determined after discussions between the top leadership of Congress and Samajwadi Party. 

Samajwadi Party releases list of candidates

On Tuesday, the Samajwadi Party released its first list of 16 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Dimple Yadav, the wife of Akhilesh Yadav, will be contesting from her current Mainpuri seat. The party has selected sitting MLAs Ravidas Mehrotra and Lalji Verma for the Lucknow and Ambedkar Nagar constituencies, respectively.

Shafiqur Rahman Barq (93) has been chosen to contest from Sambhal, the same constituency he currently represents in the Lok Sabha. Akshay Yadav, the son of senior SP leader Ramgopal Yadav, is set to be the candidate from Firozabad, while Dharmendra Yadav has been fielded for the Budaun parliamentary constituency. The list of candidates also includes Devesh Shakya for Etah, Utkarsh Verma for Kheri, Anand Bhadauria for Dhaurahra, Anu Tandon for Unnao, Naval Kishore Shakya for Farrukhabad, Rajaram Pal for Akbarpur, Shivshankar Singh Patel for Banda, Awadhesh Prasad for Faizabad, Ramprasad Chaudhary for Basti, and Kajal Nishad for Gorakhpur.

INDI bloc seat-sharing tussle

As the Nation is gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, discussions regarding seat-sharing within the INDI bloc are actively taking place across various states. The INDI alliance, consisting of more than 20 opposition parties, has initiated deliberations on the allocation of seats among allies for the forthcoming general elections. However, the Congress party finds itself in a challenging position, as several regional parties are adamant about not compromising on seat-sharing arrangements.

Mamata, Mann ditch alliance

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently declared that her Trinamool Congress (TMC) party will independently contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state. She cited unsuccessful seat-sharing negotiations with Congress as the reason behind her decision. Following Mamata's announcement, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann too clarified that the AAP is not allying with the Congress in Punjab.

However, recent updates from Congress sources indicate that seat-sharing talks between AAP and Congress in Delhi are progressing smoothly. The two parties are considering a 4-3 formula for Delhi. 

Another noteworthy information stated by the sources is that seat-sharing talks in West Bengal are currently on hold, with TMC and Congress reviewing the proposals. TMC remains a part of the INDIA Alliance, sources claimed.

Nitish Kumar returns to NDA

In another u-turn, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar parted ways with the Mahagathbandhan to rejoin the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Resigning as the Bihar CM, Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar stated, "I departed from the INDIA Alliance," breaking ties with the ruling government in partnership with RJD.

Explaining the reasons for his departure from the INDI alliance, Nitish Kumar said on Wednesday, "I had been urging them to select a different name for the alliance, but they had already finalised it. Despite my efforts, they did not make any changes. Even today, they have not decided on the seat-sharing among the parties. This is why I left them and returned to my original alliance. I will continue working for the people of Bihar."

Nitish Kumar also launched a sharp criticism against Rahul Gandhi regarding Congress' attempt to take credit for the caste census. He questioned, “Has he (Rahul) forgotten when the caste census took place? I conducted it in the presence of nine parties. In 2019-2020, I consistently advocated for a caste census in various forums, from the Assembly to public meetings. He (Rahul) is falsely claiming credit, and there's nothing I can do about it. Let it be.”