Trouble seems to be brewing between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress over the seat-sharing pact for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections after the latter demanded 150 seats, which was firmly rejected by former's leaders, citing the grand old party's performance in previous polls.
The Samajwadi Party has clearly affirmed that its national president Akhilesh Yadav will take a call regarding the seat-sharing formula. SP's Lok Sabha member from Pratapgarh, Shiv Pal Singh Patel, said Congress only has two MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, and based on this, it should be allocated just seven or eight seats.
Targeting the Congress, Patel said the Congress should make a realistic demand. Further, he said Yadav has ensured justice for all in Uttar Pradesh, and thus, people stand with him. The Congress has no contribution in this regard, he said.
"They currently have two MLAs, whereas we have 125. Based on this ratio, they should receive seven or eight seats," he told news agency ANI. "We can give them even 50 seats; anything beyond that would simply mean wasting seats and risking defeat."
"Congress should demand seats based on their actual numbers and standing, rather than making arbitrary demands. Their realistic capacity is around 25–30 seats," he added.
SP's 55-seat offer to Congress
Sources earlier told India TV that the Samajwadi Party has offered 53 to 55 seats to Congress, while it would field candidates on around 350 constituencies. This offer was made following an assessment by Samajwadi Party on seats where it has a strong presence.
But the Congress has demanded at 150 seats, with many of its leaders, including Saharanpur MP Imran Masood and Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam, stressing that it would only settle for a respectable share.
"Let me clarify one thing: the INDIA alliance was not formed specifically for Uttar Pradesh. It was formed in Delhi. This is not a state-level arrangement; it is a national-level alliance," Congress' newly appointed Uttar Pradesh unit chief Aradhana Mishra said on Saturday.
"Decisions regarding this will be taken by the top leadership of the alliance and the top leadership of the constituent parties. As for the Congress party, our top leadership will decide on the number of seats and the timing of the alliance, and I am fully confident that they will do so while keeping in mind the faith and trust of Congress workers," she added.
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