The I.N.D.I.A alliance, which includes 28 parties, is expected to agree on over 400 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. The Congress has reduced its number of seats from 350 to 260, sending a positive message to other alliance partners.
The Congress is willing to give some seats to allies so that the alliance can directly challenge the BJP. However, many leaders will face an existential challenge after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. They are aware that if Prime Minister Modi returns for a third term with a mandate of over 300 Lok Sabha seats, their future will be bleak.
We are targeting 450 Lok Sabha seats. There are seats in every state where friendly contests can happen. But India will contest against the BJP on over 400 seats, said a Congress leader. According to sources, the Congress is willing to give open-minded space to alliance partners if they help the alliance defeat the BJP in its strongholds, such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Gujarat, Tripura, and other states.
However, there are challenges in states such as Andhra Pradesh (25 seats) and Odisha (21), where the alliance does not have a dominant presence. The Congress is considering forming an alliance with the TDP in Andhra and the TMC and JD(U) and other parties in Odisha. There are also states such as Telangana (17) and Karnataka (28) where no opposition party has a claim on the seats. The alliance already exists in states such as Bihar, Maharashtra, and some other states.
There are problems in states such as Uttar Pradesh (80), West Bengal (42), and some northeastern states. These will take time to be resolved, but leaders say they will find a solution within the next week.