As Nitish Kumar's JD(U) prepares to leave the INDIA bloc and rejoin the BJP-led NDA, the Samajwadi Party announced on Saturday that it has offered 11 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh asserted that their alliance is "off to a good start". Yadav said in a post in Hindi on X, "Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward with the winning equation. The INDIA team and PDA (Picchda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) strategy will change history."
However, UP Congress president Ajay Rai mentioned that the decision on the matter will be taken by his party's national leadership.
Elaborating on the developments, the chief spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party, Rajendra Chaudhary, said, "We (Samajwadi Party) have offered 11 seats to them (the Congress) so that there is a respectable mutual coordination among us, and together we can defeat the BJP."
Chaudhary also mentioned that the party's top leadership is in continuous contact with the Congress. He clarified that the number of seats offered, currently standing at 11, is not expected to increase in the future.
"We have allocated 11 seats to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh and seven seats to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), making it a total of 18 seats. The Samajwadi Party plans to contest 62 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha election," said the chief spokesperson of the SP.
In the current Lok Sabha, the Samajwadi Party holds three seats, while the Bahujan Samaj Party has 10 MPs. Sonia Gandhi is the lone Congress MP from the state, representing the Rae Bareli constituency. The Apna Dal (Sonelal) has two MPs, and the BJP has 64 MPs from the state.
Among the seats that the Congress is set to contest include Amethi and Rae Bareli, which were once considered Congress bastions, along with Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Bareilly.
Rajpal Kashyap, another senior Samajwadi Party leader, declined to disclose the names of the 11 seats offered by the SP to the Congress, saying, "The names of the seats cannot be revealed at this time."
Meanwhile, in response to Akhilesh Yadav's post on X, Rai said, "The decision regarding Akhilesh Yadav's tweet (post on X) will be made by our national leadership (the committee formed under the leadership of Mukul Wasnik). Talks are progressing in a very positive and favorable environment, and we anticipate a robust outcome soon."
When asked about Yadav's remarks, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh mentioned at a press conference in Delhi that senior leader Ashok Gehlot is engaged in discussions with the SP chief regarding seat-sharing. He emphasised that the discussions are taking place in a positive and constructive atmosphere. "We will inform you once a formula is finalised," he added.
Ramesh further noted that the agreement reached in Uttar Pradesh will be advantageous for the Congress, the SP, and the INDIA bloc.
Taking a dig at the Opposition, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya posted on X, said, "By the time the unprecedented ('abhootpoorv') Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi completes the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, it will mark 'the end' of the INDIA Alliance! Modi government for the third time."
In the current Lok Sabha, the Samajwadi Party holds three seats, the Bahujan Samaj Party has 10 seats, and Sonia Gandhi is the lone Congress MP from the state, representing the Rae Bareli constituency. The Apna Dal (Sonelal) holds two seats, while the BJP has 64 MPs from the state.
On January 19, the Samajwadi Party and RLD announced their alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, with the latter stating that the former will leave seven seats in western Uttar Pradesh for its nominees.
This Saturday's development occurs amid strong indications that Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar may make yet another volte-face and return to the BJP-led NDA, dealing a blow to the INDIA opposition bloc."