BREAKING: Congress seeks to contest 290 seats in Lok Sabha polls 2024, say sources

New Delhi: The Congress party has decided to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024 on approximately 290 seats, said Republic TV sources, adding that a consensus was reached during the two-day meeting of the Alliance Committee that took place on December 29 and 30. The committee tasked with coordinating alliance strategies is set to present its comprehensive report to Congress President Kharge, who has convened a meeting on January 4. During this meeting, he is expected to ask state presidents and CLP (Congress Legislative Party) leaders to finalize the seat-sharing arrangement. After this, there will be a meeting with the alliance parties regarding seat-sharing. 

A 5-point cheat sheet on this big story

• Congress jostling to contest 250-300 seats, said sources.
• Top-level congress meeting this week to decide on seat-sharing formula.
• Sources claim internal dialogue on, Congress bidding for up to 300 seats.
• Congress wants to fight alone in multiple states and demands a lion-share of seats in INDI.
• After AAP and TMC run down Congress' chances, inside sources suggest that Congress remains steadfast in its desire to maintain a prominent role as the alliance's big brother.   

Opinion poll predicts return of Modi govt in 2024

An opinion poll conducted by a private news channel and a survey agency has predicted the return of the Modi government, while noting the opposition INDIA bloc ‘could do better’ than the BJP in states like Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra and Telangana. According to the survey conducted by the C-Voter, the BJP-led NDA would get around 295-335 seats, while the opposition Congress and its INDIA allies are projected to get 165-205 seats.