In a first, Congress to contest in less than 300 seats

NEW DELHI: First time since independence, congress is fielding the least number of candidates in the upcoming 2024 elections, only to keep alive the pact with other INDIA bloc parties. The Congress has so far announced 278 candidates from 27 states and eight Union Territories.

Almost 20 seats are yet to be announced which includes major constituencies like Amethi, and Rae Bareli and also seats in Haryana, Bihar, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and West Bengal. Congress gave more seats to its allies in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu. The party will contest 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh while it will go for just nine each in Bihar and Tamil Nadu.

Already 13 candidates have been announced in Bengal. In Maharashtra, out of 48 seats, congress is contesting in just a paltry 17. Six seats were ceded in the states of Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana, after reaching an agreement with the Aam Aadmi Party.

Earlier too, congress has formed many alliances, but not at the cost of shrinking themselves into a minutiae presence. The current move will be heavily scrutinized after the elections as the party benefitted nothing even after ceding much of the seats to INDIA allies in the recently finished assembly elections in major states.

A mere 272 is needed for a majority in the Lok Sabha. It is thus almost clear that Congress has already dropped the long-carried dream of forming a majority government at the centre in 2024.