The Congress’ efforts to lock down seat-sharing deals for the general election have taken another step forward, sources said Friday, after talks with Maharashtra allies for 39 of the state’s 48 seats. 

This follows Rahul Gandhi’s outreach to Shiv Sena (UBT) boss Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party. The party already has deals with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party for 17 of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats and Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party for three of Delhi’s seven.

The Congress has also reached out to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool to restart talks that fell through last month after the Bengal Chief Minister refused to budge from her offer – two of the state’s 42 seats.

Congress sources told NDTV the party had lowered its ask to five seats – but a Trinamool spokesperson played that down, declaring “Even with binoculars we are unable to find a third seat for Congress”.

READ | “Even With Binoculars…”: Trinamool Sources On Congress’ 5-Seat Demand

Back in Maharashtra, the INDIA allies are understood to have differences over eight seats, including two in Mumbai – South Central and North West – that the Sena (UBT) and Congress both want.

There is also a delay over demands by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi boss Prakash Ambedkar, who wants five seats, sources have said. Mr Ambedkar’s party contested 47 seats in the 2019 election but failed to win any. The VBA also contested 236 seats in the 2019 Assembly election and did not open its account.

The Sena (then undivided and allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party) contested 23 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and won 18, including Mumbai South Central and North West. The Congress contested 25 and only won Chandrapur, while Sharad Pawar’s NCP (also then undivided) fought from 19 seats and won four.

The BJP dominated that election, winning 23 of the 25 seats it contested.

The Congress’ attempts at sealing seat-share deals in Maharashtra – a key state since it sends the most MPs to the Lower House after UP – have been complicated by defections, most recently Ashok Chavan.

READ | “Congress Changing Is Not The Problem, Not Changing Is”: Ashok Chavan To NDTV

The former Chief Minister quit and joined the BJP, in the space of 48 hours, and is now a Rajya Sabha MP. That was after senior leader Milind Deora walked out and into Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Sena.

Sources have said Mr Thackeray’s party, aware the Congress is on the back-foot, more so given its recent poor electoral record, wants a greater share of Lok Sabha seats from state capital Mumbai.

All parties involved, however, are keen to work out a deal, since they understand the 2024 election is, in many ways, a battle for survival against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll-winning machine, the BJP.

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Suhani Bhatnagar, the actress who portrayed young Babita Phogat in the film Dangal, passed away on February 16 at the age of 19 due to a rare autoimmune disease called dermatomyositis. She was undergoing treatment at AIIMS Delhi, where she breathed her last.

Her death deeply shocked the industry, with many offering their condolences to her family and expressing their grief.

Aamir Khan, recently visited his Dangal co-star Suhani Bhatnagar’s home in Faridabad to offer his condolences and meet with her family. A photo from his visit has surfaced on the internet, showing Aamir Khan with Suhani’s parents and relatives, holding a framed photo of Suhani.

Following Suhani’s passing, Aamir Khan Productions issued a statement mourning her death: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of our Suhani. Our heartfelt condolences to her mother, Poojaji, and the entire family. Such a talented young girl and such a team player, Dangal would have been incomplete without Suhani. Suhani, you will always remain a star in our hearts. May you rest in peace.”

Babita Phogat, whose character Suhani portrayed in Dangal, also visited Suhani’s residence in Faridabad to attend her prayer meeting and offer her condolences. She posted a photo with Suhani’s family on Instagram.

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party – who this week delivered the INDIA bloc’s first electoral win, in the Chandigarh mayoral poll – have finalised seat-share deals for Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, and Haryana, sources told NDTV Friday afternoon.

The details will be revealed at a press conference later today, but the INDIA bloc members are understood to have agreed a four-three split of Delhi’s seven seats.

Sources have said the AAP will field candidates from East, West and South Delhi, in addition to New Delhi, while Congress will contest from North West and North East Delhi, and Chandi Chowk.

In the 2019 election the BJP won all seven seats.

Hours later NDTV was told a deal had also been struck for Goa, Chandigarh, Gujarat, and Haryana, with reports indicating two seats in Gujarat, and one each in Haryana and Chandigarh, are part of the deal.

READ | After Delhi, AAP-Congress Seal Seat Deal For Goa, Haryana, Gujarat: Sources

The last-known position in each of these states was that in Gujarat – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state – the AAP will contest two seats, the sole Lok Sabha seat in Chandigarh will go to the Congress, as will the South Goa seat, while the AAP will get at least one seat in Haryana.

Of these, the BJP swept Gujarat and Haryana in the last election, winning all 26 in the former and all 10 in the latter. In Goa, which has only two Lok Sabha seats, the BJP picked up North Goa and finished less than 10,000 votes behind the Congress’ Francisco Sardinha in South Goa.

Mr Modi’s party also won the Chandigarh seat; the Congress held this for three terms previously, with Pawan Kumar Bansal winning in 1999, 2004, and 2009. There was talk the AAP would insist on this seat.

The Congress-led INDIA has been busy this week – with just days for Lok Sabha election dates to be announced – wrapping up deals in Uttar Pradesh, closing in on an agreement in Maharashtra, and hoping for a revival of fortunes in Bengal.

READ | “Even With Binoculars…”: Trinamool Sources On Congress’ 5-Seat Demand

These accords have not, for now, changed the equation in Punjab, where the AAP is set to contest all 13 seats. That was confirmed by party boss and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last week, who took a swipe at the Congress as he did so.

The UP deal – under which the Congress will contest 17 of the state’s 80 seats and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (and regional allies) the other 63 – was INDIA’s first major seat-share contract, and came after Mr Yadav’s ‘ultimatum’ about his participation in the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’.

READ | INDIA Bloc’s UP Seat Sharing Pact Finalised, Congress To Fight On 17 Seats

Set up in June to defeat Mr Modi and the BJP, the INDIA bloc has already lost Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) – a founding member – and Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtra Lok Dal, which has influence among the Jat community in western UP. Both the JDU and the RLD have aligned with the BJP. 

Aware that further losses, or delays in sealing seat-share deals, will make it even harder to fight the BJP’s formidable election-winning machinery, the Congress has stepped up its negotiating efforts this week, with senior leaders – Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Sonia Gandhi – all playing key roles.

READ | To Solve UP Seat-Sharing Deadlock, Sonia, Priyanka Gandhi Stepped In

Mr Gandhi has spoken to Shiv Sena (UBT) boss Uddhav Thackeray to complete talks in Maharashtra and Ms Gandhi Vadra ensured the deal with Akhilesh Yadav was struck. Sonia Gandhi may be called on to help settle a deal with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with whom she has a good relationship.

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