Opposition seat sharing talks done: Kharge

BENGALURU: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced the party has successfully resolved seat-sharing agreements with most of its allies within the India National Development Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.). However, negotiations are going on with the Shiv Sena (Uddhav) faction in Maharashtra, with a hopeful announcement expected by March 19.

Making the announcement in Bengaluru on Saturday, Kharge unveiled the party’s guarantee schemes ‘Hissedari Nyay’ and ‘Shramik Nyay’ aimed at tackling inflation and unemployment. He acknowledged the challenges in seat-sharing negotiations. He noted instances where both parties express interest in contesting from specific constituencies.

Kharge said that most seat-sharing issues have been resolved across various states. Specifically mentioning Tamil Nadu, he confirmed that the Congress’ demand for 10 seats had been accepted by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. Additionally, Kharge confirmed alliances with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi and sealed seat-sharing agreements in Uttar Pradesh.

Regarding the Prime Ministerial face for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, Kharge asserted that alliance partners will collectively decide. He highlighted the significance of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), stressing that both the Congress manifesto and the CMP of its allies will be presented to the public during the election campaign.