Congress vs Akhilesh Yadav Sorted, INDIA’s Next Meeting On Dec 19: Sources

The top leaders of the INDIA opposition alliance are set to meet this month and seat-sharing for the upcoming elections is going to be on the agenda, said sources. The meeting is likely to be held in Delhi on December 19, subject to the availability of the leaders, they added.

Seat-sharing is expected to be a tough negotiation for the Congress after its drubbing in the recent elections in three heartland states. The Congress lost Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, where it held power, to the BJP, while it failed to return to power in Madhya Pradesh.

Congress has also resolved its differences with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, said the sources, indicating his presence at the first such meeting following the recent elections in five states.

An earlier meeting of the INDIA leaders set to be held last week was deferred after many of the leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav, Nitish Kumar, and Mamata Banerjee, indicated they might skip it.

The meeting was called on the election results day and scheduled only three days later, leaving no time for the grand old party to assess their shortcomings and what led to their drubbing. The only silver lining was the Congress winning in Telangana.

INDIA- the opposition front formed to take on the BJP in next year’s national elections – has frequently faced questions over the internal grumblings by regional parties, which had been insisting on fighting the polls on their own or as the majority partner.

Akhilesh Yadav, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, has had differences with the Congress leadership more than once in the past, including criticising his ally over failed seat-sharing talks for the Madhya Pradesh election.