Congress and Samajwadi Party forge alliance in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: In a significant development ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have formed an alliance in Uttar Pradesh with an aim to challenge the BJP’s dominance in the state.

The announcement of the alliance was made by Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, who took to social media platform ‘X’ to unveil the partnership, initially covering 11 seats. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, highest from any state of the country.

While the specifics of the seat allocation to Congress remain undisclosed, Yadav expressed optimism, stating, “Our cordial alliance with Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward with the winning equation. The ‘India’ team and the ‘PDA’ strategy will change history.”

However, the Congress is yet to officially endorse the agreement. UP Congress committee president Ajay Rai clarified that the decision on seat-sharing would be determined by the Mukul Wasnik committee, emphasising that Yadav’s announcement is not binding on the Congress. The Congress is reportedly seeking 21 seats in the alliance.

Highlighting the fluidity of the negotiations, the Samajwadi Party indicated that the 11-seat pact represents an initial assessment, with discussions ongoing and the potential for additional seats to be included. SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhry stated, “The 11-seat pact is just the beginning. We are in discussions and more seats could be added.”

Akhilesh Yadav, in a recent statement, criticized the Congress for what he perceived as a lack of enthusiasm in engaging with the INDIA alliance, attributing the ongoing fissures within the bloc to this sentiment. “Congress should have come forward. The enthusiasm that Congress needed to show in discussing and engaging with the INDIA alliance was missing,” Yadav remarked.

The seat-sharing negotiations hold significant importance for the INDIA block parties, as they seek to collectively challenge the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In addition to the alliance with Congress, Akhilesh Yadav also announced a seat-sharing arrangement with Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for seven seats, further strengthening the coalition.

With Uttar Pradesh boasting the largest number of Lok Sabha seats, both the ruling BJP and the opposition recognize its strategic significance. While the BJP has demonstrated strength in the state in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, opposition parties are banking on alliances to consolidate anti-BJP votes and mount a credible challenge to the ruling party at the Centre.