Cong’s woes: ISF bargains for extra seats in Bengal, DMK performs powerful in Tamil Nadu

ALTHOUGH THE schedule of the Assembly elections have been introduced on Thursday, the Congress is nowhere near a seat-sharing association with the DMK in Tamil Nadu, and new entrant Indian Secular Front has difficult and delayed the Congress-Left seat-sharing train in West Bengal. In Tamil Nadu, the DMK is alleged to be flexing its muscular tissues, a lot to the chagrin of the Congress.
Sources within the Congress in Bengal mentioned the Left events have kind of finalised a seat-sharing settlement with the Indian Secular Front (ISF) led by Furfura sharif Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui however the newly fashioned get together remains to be bargaining exhausting. The sources mentioned the Left events have agreed to offer 30 seats to the ISF from their quota however Siddiqui is in search of extra seats from the Congress.
While West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury advised The Indian Express that the seat-sharing talks are “on the verge of completion” and can be “announced in a day or two”, sources mentioned the entry of ISF has difficult the train. “The Left is said to have decided to give 30 seats to the ISF. They are in talks with both the CPM and the Congress separately. We can’t give many seats,” a senior chief mentioned.
The Congress, sources mentioned, can’t half with extra seats to the ISF. Last time, it had received 44 seats, out of which 22 are within the Muslim-concentrated Murshidabad and Malda districts. “Those are our strong areas. We cannot give many seats in these two districts. It is difficult for us,” a senior chief mentioned.
Asked in regards to the Election Commission’s choice to carry elections in eight phases, Chowdhury mentioned the Congress has no objection to it. “It only proves that the law and order situation in Bengal is not good. We don’t have any problem. We have been demanding that elections should be held in a free and fair manner. The administration is in the pocket of the ruling party. So we have in the past raised many complaints. We don’t have any problem if elections are held in eight phases…ultimately, people should be allowed to vote freely,” he mentioned.
In Tamil Nadu, the Congress and the DMK held the primary spherical of seat sharing talks on Thursday. But the Congress was in for a shock when the DMK negotiators advised them that the get together can’t half with greater than 25 seats for it. The Congress, sources mentioned, requested for over 50 seats. The get together had contested in 41 seats final time however may win solely eight.

Sources mentioned the DMK interlocutors advised the Congress leaders that its strike fee final time round was poor and the DMK can’t afford to offer extra seats this time because it needs to contest extra seats.
While the DMK aspect was represented by common secretary Duraimurugan, treasurer T R Baalu and Lok Sabha MP and senior chief Kanimozhi, the Congress aspect was led by former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy and AICC common secretary Randeep Surjewala.