Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Nov 15: A disagreement over seat-sharing has emerged between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with differences over the number of constituencies to be contested by each party.

The Congress has reportedly sought 181 of the 403 Assembly seats in the state. However, Samajwadi Party MP Shivpal Singh Patel has termed the demand unreasonable, indicating that the Congress may get fewer than 100 seats.

Speaking to news agency IANS, Patel said the Congress had submitted a list of 181 constituencies it wished to contest, but the seat-sharing arrangement had not yet been finalised. He clarified that the Congress had only put forward its demand and that the final decision would be taken by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Patel said he hoped the Congress would agree to contest around 50 to 60 seats, with 65 being the maximum. He pointed out that the Congress currently has only two MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, while the SP has a larger legislative presence.

He argued that the Congress's demand was disproportionate to its current strength in the Assembly and cautioned that allocating too many constituencies could affect the SP's organisational efforts and resources.

Patel also stressed the importance of considering grassroots party workers while finalising the alliance arrangement. He said SP workers had been working across the state through PDA (Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) Panchayats and other outreach programmes to strengthen the party's support base.

Formal seat-sharing discussions between the two parties are expected to begin on November 17. Congress leaders have indicated that several rounds of meetings will be held to arrive at a mutually acceptable arrangement.

Rajendra Pal Gautam, Congress' Uttar Pradesh election in-charge, said the party had already submitted a list of approximately 180 constituencies and that discussions would begin shortly.

The Congress is reportedly seeking a larger share of seats following its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when it won six parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh as part of its alliance with the SP. The SP won 37 seats, taking the alliance's combined tally to 43 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav has maintained that the SP and Congress will contest the Assembly elections together as part of the INDIA bloc. He said the relationship between the two parties remained good and reiterated that defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was the alliance's common objective.

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress contested 399 seats and won two, while the SP secured 111 of the 347 constituencies it contested. The final seat-sharing formula for the 2027 polls is expected to emerge after discussions between the leadership of both parties.