Editor's Pick | Trinamool, Congress spar over LS poll seat-sharing

The Opposition INDIA bloc’s seat-sharing talks have run into trouble as the Trinamool Congress is willing to concede only two seats in West Bengal for the Congress to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, sources said on Thursday. Declining to participate in seat-sharing formula talks with the Congress’s National Alliance Committee (NAC), the Trinamool says it has already informed its ally about the “number of seats” it is willing to share and the “methodology” based on which it made the decision. A senior Trinamool MP familiar with developments in the alliance said, “We wish the Congress leadership to acknowledge the reality and their limitations in Bengal.” The Trinamool wants the seat-sharing formula to be based on parties’ performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and in the last West Bengal Assembly election. The Congress, Trinamool sources said, garnered a vote share of less than 5% in the State’s Lok Sabha seats. The Congress has been arguing that two seats is a “humiliating” figure. “We will wait till they can make up their mind. But if they don’t agree, then we shall go ahead and contest all 42 seats,” the Trinamool MP said. The Trinamool’s generosity in West Bengal will also depend on the Congress returning the favour in Meghalaya and Assam. The Trinamool has asked for one seat in Meghalaya and wants four seats in Assam, though it has not yet made its demand, claiming that it is trying to trim its expectations, in keeping with the INDIA spirit. Apart from Trinamool, the Samajwadi Party is also willing to concede only 4 out of the 80 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh to the Congress. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said that he had calculated this based on Congress’ performance in both 2019 Lok Sabha and 2022 UP assembly polls. The Congress had won only one seat - Rae Bareilly - in the 2019 polls and only two in the 2022 Assembly polls. Currently, Congress’ NAC has held talks with the Aam Aadmi Party for Delhi and Punjab, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for Maharashtra and will next talk with JD(U) in Bihar. Congress’ State-level allies RJD, DMK and JMM have already decided on their seat share. Joint political programmes in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha elections will hinge on seat-sharing agreements, a report in The Hindu notes. Editorials The Speaker’s court: On the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s ruling Show of fairness: On the formula for selection of Republic Day tableaux The Hindu Daily News Quiz Who is the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, who ruled that CM Eknath Shinde’s faction was the real Shiv Sena? Devendra Fadnavis Ramesh Bais Rahul Narwekar Eknath Shinde To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 12 January 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Trinamool, Congress spar over LS poll seat-sharing The Opposition INDIA bloc’s seat-sharing talks have run into trouble as the [Trinamool Congress is willing to concede only two seats]( in West Bengal for the Congress to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, sources said on Thursday. Declining to participate in seat-sharing formula talks with the Congress’s National Alliance Committee (NAC), the Trinamool says it has already informed its ally about the “number of seats” it is willing to share and the “methodology” based on which it made the decision. A senior Trinamool MP familiar with developments in the alliance said, “We wish the Congress leadership to acknowledge the reality and their limitations in Bengal.” The Trinamool wants the seat-sharing formula to be based on parties’ performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and in the last West Bengal Assembly election. The Congress, Trinamool sources said, garnered a vote share of less than 5% in the State’s Lok Sabha seats. The Congress has been arguing that two seats is a “humiliating” figure. “We will wait till they can make up their mind. But if they don’t agree, then we shall go ahead and contest all 42 seats,” the Trinamool MP said. The Trinamool’s generosity in West Bengal will also depend on the Congress returning the favour in Meghalaya and Assam. The Trinamool has asked for one seat in Meghalaya and wants four seats in Assam, though it has not yet made its demand, claiming that it is trying to trim its expectations, in keeping with the INDIA spirit. Apart from Trinamool, the Samajwadi Party is also willing to concede only 4 out of the 80 parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh to the Congress. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said that he had calculated this based on Congress’ performance in both 2019 Lok Sabha and 2022 UP assembly polls. The Congress had won only one seat - Rae Bareilly - in the 2019 polls and only two in the 2022 Assembly polls. Currently, Congress’ NAC has held [talks with the Aam Aadmi Party]( for Delhi and Punjab, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) [for Maharashtra]( and will next talk with JD(U) in Bihar. Congress’ State-level allies RJD, DMK and JMM have already decided on their seat share. Joint political programmes in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha elections will hinge on seat-sharing agreements, [a report in The Hindu notes]( Editorials [Arrow][The Speaker’s court: On the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s ruling]( [Arrow][Show of fairness: On the formula for selection of Republic Day tableaux]( The Hindu Daily News Quiz Who is the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, who ruled that CM Eknath Shinde’s faction was the real Shiv Sena? - Devendra Fadnavis - Ramesh Bais - Rahul Narwekar - Eknath Shinde To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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