Congress Seeks 175–200 Seats in Talks With SP for 2027 UP Polls
The Congress has shared an initial list with the Samajwadi Party as both parties prepare for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
GG News Bureau
Lucknow, 24th Oct: The Congress has initiated seat-sharing discussions with the Samajwadi Party (SP) for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, submitting an initial list of 175 to 200 constituencies where it believes it can perform well in an alliance.
Rajendra Pal Gautam, the Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, said the list was shared with SP leaders a few days ago. He indicated that leaders from both parties would soon meet to discuss the details of a possible arrangement ahead of the elections to the 403-member Assembly.
However, the Congress’s demand for a substantial share of seats has reportedly raised questions within the Samajwadi Party. An SP leader said party chief Akhilesh Yadav had made it clear that winnability would be the primary criterion for allocating seats, adding that negotiations would require both sides to move beyond initial demands.
The Congress is seeking to build on the gains made alongside the SP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress won six seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the Samajwadi Party secured 37, limiting the BJP to 33 seats in the state.
Akhilesh Yadav said on Friday that strengthening the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the INDIA bloc remained a shared objective. He expressed confidence that the alliance would move forward effectively to challenge the BJP in the upcoming elections.
The Congress contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections independently but won only two seats, down from seven in 2017. The 2024 Lok Sabha results have encouraged party leaders to seek a more substantial role in the next Assembly contest.
The recent change in the state Congress leadership, with Aradhana Misra Mona replacing Ajay Rai, is also being viewed within party circles as a possible step towards facilitating smoother negotiations with the SP. Some Congress leaders believe Mona’s relations with the Samajwadi Party leadership could help the parties reach an agreement.
The Congress has reportedly categorised constituencies according to its assessment of electoral prospects, an approach expected to feature in the negotiations. The 2027 contest is shaping up around the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Samajwadi Party-led opposition, with seat-sharing and caste equations likely to influence the political landscape.
