Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks came after Congress allegedly initiated seat-sharing negotiations with Samajwadi Party.
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday dismissed speculation over the number of seats Congress has sought for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, asserting that nobody knows the actual seat-sharing formula being discussed between the two INDIA bloc partners. “Someone claims 172 seats and believes they have leaked the figure. Another says 160, while someone else claims 150. Congress’ Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam confirmed that the party had submitted a list covering 175 to 200 seats. Congress won just two seats in the 2022 assembly elections, compared with seven in 2017.
We know the reality,” Akhilesh said. Everyone thinks they know the numbers, but nobody knows the truth. However, SP leaders remain sceptical about Congress’ demand, maintaining that winnability should determine seat allocation rather than political bargaining.
Emphasising opposition unity, he said the Congress and SP were committed to strengthening the INDIA alliance. “Our common objective is to remove the BJP. If we need to convince anyone to achieve that goal, we will do so. The alliance will move forward strongly to defeat the BJP,” he added. His remarks came after Congress allegedly initiated seat-sharing negotiations with SP, submitting an initial list of constituencies where it believes it can perform competitively.