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Congress deserves only 10-20 seats: Samajwadi Party
In Short
Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel on Saturday questioned the Congress’ reported demand for 150 seats, saying the party should seek seats in proportion to its electoral strength and organisational presence in the state.
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Lucknow: As the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress prepare to begin deliberations over seat-sharing for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the yet-to-be-finalised formula for a pre-poll alliance has already emerged as a potential point of contention between the two parties.
Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel on Saturday questioned the Congress’ reported demand for 150 seats, saying the party should seek seats in proportion to its electoral strength and organisational presence in the state.
Speaking to IANS, Patel said, “I think if they are given 50 seats, they should look at their actual position and status before seeking anything more than 50 seats. They should look at their past record. The six seats we got in Madhya Pradesh were because of the Samajwadi Party. Therefore, if they do this, there will be our candidates as well as theirs on several seats. This will only lead to a loss, so they should agree to 50 seats.” “I understand that in Uttar Pradesh, there is no mandate for Congress. If they fight with us, they will benefit. They have only two MLAs in the state. If they fight together, they will benefit,” he added.
Patel also said that if the two parties (Congress and Samajwadi Party) failed to reach an agreement, the purpose of an alliance would be undermined.
“If an agreement cannot be reached, then what is the point of an alliance? Ultimately, our National President will decide. The main decision has to be taken by our National President, honourable Akhilesh Yadav Ji. We are just ordinary soldiers of the party, Members of Parliament, so we can only state what the party’s policies are and where its support base lies,” he added.
“That is why it is being said that they should accept 50 seats, which is actually more than enough for them. According to Congress’ current standing, 50 seats are a lot. In reality, they deserve only 10 to 20 seats,” Patel added.
Congress MP Imran Masood, the newly appointed Working President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, said the party would adhere to its leadership’s position on the issue.
“Whatever our in-charge is saying, we stand by that. That is the party’s official line,” Masood told IANS.
Meanwhile, the seat-sharing discussions between the SP and Congress are expected to begin later this month.
The remarks came days after Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said that his party would not contest fewer than 150 of the 403 Assembly seats in the state under any alliance arrangement with the SP for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections.
