Repeated Congress claims of contesting 150 seats in UP have got their first response from the SP which has set aside 350 seats for itself. Lucknow: The talk of an alliance between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) may not appear to be moving ahead on the ground, but the two sides seem to be involved in a ‘number game’, albeit of a different type.
At a recent meeting of party MLAs and MP convened to discuss the Rajya Sabha and MLC elections, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav talked about stepping up preparations on 350 of the 403 seats in the state assembly. SP’s setting aside 350 seats for itself came hours after in charge of UP Congress Rajednra Gautum told news agency ANI that his party would contest on at least 150 seats in UP under the alliance. Congress has candidates available to contest all 403 seats. Under the alliance, the Congress party is entitled to get 50% of the seats. Political experts are of the view that Akhilesh putting out a figure of 350 seats for SP may be a political manoeuvre to counter Congress party demanding 150 seats. SP has maintained a studied silence on the number of seats it wants to spare for its alliance partner While the Congress claims that its number of 150 seats was derived after deliberations spanning two months and involving senior party leaders in Delhi. The Congress, sources said, has put on the 150 count after classifying the seats falling in its focus area into three categories – A, B and C to ensure that the party has identified potential candidates and organisational strengths before walking to the negotiation table. The party has placed 150 constituencies in its first category, sources said. Political experts are of the view that the SP chief could arrive at the figure of 350 seats on the basis of SP’s 2024 Lok Sabha performance. The SP won 37 parliamentary seats securing leads in 184 specific assembly constituencies. The SP chief is believed to have reached the count of 350 assembly seats by adding assembly segments where SP got more votes than BJP in the Lok Sabha polls including the 25 Parliamentary seats where it stood second and those where it stood third but won specific assembly segments.
“This can be an astute political move to break the ice in terms of seat-sharing negotiations in the run-up to the actual talks slated to be held in October,” said a political expert. The statement sparked a wave of jubilation among ticket hopefuls in SP who suddenly saw their odds improving. At the same time, Congress has taken the announcement with caution. “Seats sharing is likely to be finalised in October. Senior politician UPCC chief Ajay Rai has however been cautious in his reactions and has maintained that the negotiations over seat sharing will be led by party’s central leadership.
Earlier, Congress’s Saharanpur MP Imran Masood, too, had emphasised that Congress, being the main opposition party pitted against the BJP , will not compromise on its dignity when it comes to seat-sharing in UP.