Lucknow, Nov 2026 : Differences over seat-sharing have surfaced between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with both parties yet to reach an agreement on the number of constituencies each will contest as part of the INDIA bloc alliance.
The Congress has reportedly sought 181 of Uttar Pradesh's 403 Assembly seats, but the demand has drawn objections from the Samajwadi Party. SP MP Shivpal Singh Patel has described the Congress's demand as unreasonable, suggesting that the party may ultimately receive fewer than 100 seats.
Patel said the Congress had submitted a list of 181 constituencies it wanted to contest, but clarified that no final decision had been taken. He maintained that the Congress had only communicated its expectations and that the final seat-sharing formula would be decided by SP president Akhilesh Yadav.
Expressing his preference, Patel said he hoped the Congress would agree to contest around 50 to 60 constituencies, with 65 seats being the maximum. He pointed out that the Congress currently has only two MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, whereas the SP has a considerably larger legislative presence.
According to Patel, the allocation of seats should reflect the respective organisational and electoral strengths of the alliance partners. He also cautioned that giving the Congress a disproportionately large share could affect the Samajwadi Party's organisational preparations and resources.
The SP leader emphasised that the interests of grassroots party workers must also be considered while finalising the alliance arrangement. He highlighted the party's ongoing outreach through PDA (Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) Panchayats and other programmes aimed at strengthening its support base across Uttar Pradesh.
Formal seat-sharing discussions between the two parties are expected to begin on November 17. Congress leaders have indicated that multiple rounds of negotiations will take place to work out an arrangement acceptable to both sides.
Rajendra Pal Gautam, the Congress's Uttar Pradesh election in-charge, confirmed that the party had submitted a list of approximately 180 constituencies and that discussions would begin shortly.
The Congress is seeking a larger share of seats following its performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when it won six parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with the SP. The Samajwadi Party secured 37 seats, taking the INDIA bloc partners' 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 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections together under the INDIA bloc. He has described relations between the two parties as good and reiterated that defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remains their common objective.
In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress contested 399 seats but won only two. The SP, meanwhile, won 111 of the 347 constituencies it contested.
With negotiations scheduled to begin, the final seat-sharing arrangement will depend on discussions between the leadership of both parties. The outcome will also indicate how the opposition alliance plans to coordinate its electoral strategy against the BJP in the politically crucial state.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
