Rajendra Pal Gautam
Gautam said the organisational structure, including district and city units, was likely to be finalised by Thursday, while the state-level body could be announced the same day or within a few days.
Lucknow: Demanding that the party should get at least 200 seats to contest in Uttar Pradesh , state Congress in charge Rajendra Pal Gautam on Sunday said the party wanted its seat-sharing arrangement with Samajwadi Party for the 2027 Assembly elections to be finalised in Oct, signalling that Congress is keen to enter negotiations with a clear timeline. Gautam also clarified his earlier remarks on the number of seats Congress wanted to contest, saying he had spoken of 200 seats and not 150. “Who asked for 150 seats? I had actually spoken about 200,” he said. The remarks come amid Congress’s preparations to strengthen its organisation across all 403 Assembly constituencies.
Gautam said Congress was seeking “equal respect and an equal share” in the alliance, while indicating that the party was prepared to show flexibility during negotiations. “If we have to bend a little, we will bend,” he said, adding that the priority was to ensure that candidates get sufficient time to work in their constituencies. He said Congress and SP were the two main INDIA bloc partners in Uttar Pradesh and both had a responsibility to move forward together. He said grassroots organisational work was nearly complete and claimed the party had established its presence in every village.