Lucknow, Oct 3 (IANS): As the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress prepare to begin deliberations over seat-sharing for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the yet-to-be-finalised formula for a pre-poll alliance has already emerged as a potential point of contention between the two parties.
Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel on Saturday questioned the Congress’ reported demand for 150 seats, saying the party should seek seats in proportion to its electoral strength and organisational presence in the state.
Speaking to IANS, Patel said, “I think if they are given 50 seats, they should look at their actual position and status before seeking anything more than 50 seats. They should look at their past record. The six seats we got in Madhya Pradesh were because of the Samajwadi Party. Therefore, if they do this, there will be our candidates as well as theirs on several seats. This will only lead to a loss, so they should agree to 50 seats.”
“I understand that in Uttar Pradesh, there is no mandate for Congress. If they fight with us, they will benefit. They have only two MLAs in the state. If they fight together, they will benefit,” he added.
Patel also said that if the two parties (Congress and Samajwadi Party) failed to reach an agreement, the purpose of an alliance would be undermined.
“If an agreement cannot be reached, then what is the point of an alliance? Ultimately, our National President will decide. The main decision has to be taken by our National President, honourable Akhilesh Yadav Ji. We are just ordinary soldiers of the party, Members of Parliament, so we can only state what the party’s policies are and where its support base lies,” he added.
“That is why it is being said that they should accept 50 seats, which is actually more than enough for them. According to Congress’ current standing, 50 seats are a lot. In reality, they deserve only 10 to 20 seats,” Patel added.
Congress MP Imran Masood, the newly appointed Working President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party would adhere to its leadership’s position on the issue.
“Whatever our in-charge is saying, we stand by that. That is the party’s official line,” Masood told IANS.
Meanwhile, the seat-sharing discussions between the SP and Congress are expected to begin later this month.
The remarks came days after Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said that his party would not contest fewer than 150 of the 403 Assembly seats in the state under any alliance arrangement with the SP for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections.
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is significant for both parties as the state sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha, the highest among all states.
The 2027 state polls are expected to be closely watched, given the political importance of Uttar Pradesh in national politics.
The SP and Congress are partners in the Opposition INDIA coalition and contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP’s tally in the state fell to 33 seats in 2024 from 62 in 2019, while the SP emerged as the single-largest party in the state in the Lok Sabha polls.
The SP has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh since 2017, while the Congress has not formed the state government since 1989.
Meanwhile, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), led by Mayawati, has traditionally maintained distance from the SP, Congress and BJP, although it briefly allied with the SP for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The BSP has since witnessed a decline in its electoral representation while retaining a core Dalit support base.
For years, the Congress had pushed for a broader alliance involving the SP and BSP.
However, in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the three parties contested separately.
