Akhilesh Yadav seizes reins of UP seat pact as Opposition unity faces existential threat
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, January 27: The Opposition unity is now faced with a grave existential challenge as the original architect Nitish Kumar appears set for a life under the saffron shadow in Bihar. The Congress also appears being tested by the Opposition constituents to hold the Indian National Democratic and Inclusive Alliance (India) intact.
Amid strain the Opposition bloc, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has announced that the Congress would be contesting a total of 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state. There is no confirmation from the Congress yet. The two parties had held three rounds of seat adjustment talks.
Yadav had previously announced that the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) would contest a total of seven Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The SP may strike seat adjustment alliance with a few more smaller parties in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav has shown that the Opposition now has completed the seat adjustment pact in UP. There has been no seat adjustment for any other state so far for the Opposition bloc.
It may be noted that the Congress had been staking claims on a higher number of the Lok Sabha seats in UP. By sharing a total of 18 Lok Sabha seats with the Congress and the RLD, the SP is keeping 62 seats with the party.
Amid strain in the Opposition block, the Congress chief of the communication department Jairam Ramesh has said that the parties should focus on the national agenda irrespective of the differences at the state levels. His remark has come in the backdrop of the announcement of the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contest the Lok Sabha elections alone. She has said that the Trinamool Congress would not share seats in West Bengal with any party.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also announced that the party will have no seat adjustment pacts in Delhi and Punjab. The Opposition unity is already on the verge of a collapse in Bihar. The Opposition block may be left with only Maharashtra to sort out the seat adjustment among the allies of the Congress.
Yadav appears to have put pressure on the Congress to accept his announcement of contesting 11 Lok Sabha seats in UP. He has said that India Opposition block and his yatra for PDA to consolidate the backward, Dalit, and the Muslims will help win the Lok Sabha elections.
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