The Congress is eyeing 125 seats as part of an alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Party insiders have told NDTV that Priyanka Gandhi will play a pivotal role in the seat-sharing negotiations with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
The party is also eyeing about a dozen seats that were won by the Samajwadi Party, NDTV has leant. The party’s aim is to contest at least one Assembly seat within every Lok Sabha constituency. The Congress also intends to stake a claim to seats in Amethi, Raebareli, and Saharanpur that are currently held by Samajwadi Party MLAs.
Another meeting between Priyanka Gandhi and UP Congress leaders is scheduled for this week, following which the Congress may present a list of about 125 to 150 seats to the Samajwadi Party. She had also led the party’s unsuccessful campaign in the 2022 polls when the Congress fought the elections alone and could manage to win only two seats. This time the Congress is formulating its list based on data from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2017 Assembly elections. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which it fought in alliance with the SP, the party saw a surprising upswing in its fortunes, winning six of 17 seats it contested. The Congress led in 38 Assembly segments and stood second in 42 others in the 2024 polls. All these 80 seats have been included in the party’s wishlist. Congress UP in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam has repeatedly insisted that the party deserves no less than 150 seats as part of the alliance.
Party insiders have told NDTV that Priyanka Gandhi will play a pivotal role in the seat-sharing negotiations with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. it has been learnt that Akhilesh Yadav’s party is not keen on sparing more than 60-65 seats for the Congress, with Yadav repeatedly emphasising “winnability” as the criteria for seat allocation While both parties appear positive on the need for an alliance.
