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Many party insiders called the Congress decision a possible fallout of the rejection of its initial proposal to contest five assembly seats, while some termed it part of a broader seat-sharing arrangement, which also encompasses the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, though, had stated that in Maharashtra, he is hopeful of his party contesting 12 seats (File pic: X/@samajwadiparty)
Hours after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav announced that under the latest strategy, joint candidates of the opposition INDIA bloc will contest on all nine bypoll-bound assembly seats on the SP’s cycle symbol, the Congress made it clear that it won’t be fighting the elections to be held on November 13 in Uttar Pradesh. Many party insiders called the Congress decision a possible fallout of the rejection of its initial proposal to contest five assembly seats, while some termed it part of a broader seat-sharing arrangement, which also encompasses the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections of November 20.
“The Congress will not field its candidates in the upcoming assembly by-elections in UP. We will work with full force to ensure the victory of all the candidates of INDIA bloc and Samajwadi Party. This necessary decision has been taken in the interest of the public to save the constitution and values of this country and to defeat the BJP,” said Avinash Pandey, national general Secretary (in-charge), Uttar Pradesh Congress.
The Congress statement came hours after the Samajwadi Party announced that its INDIA bloc partner would contest the polls on the SP’s symbol. “It is not about seats but about winning’. Under this strategy, the joint candidates of INDIA Alliance will contest on all the 9 seats on the Samajwadi Party’s election symbol ‘cycle’,” reads a post of former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on social media site X.
The post further stated that the Congress and Samajwadi Party are united and standing shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. The INDIA front is going to write a new chapter of victory in this by-election, he said. “Samajwadi Party’s strength has increased manifold with the support of Congress party’s top leadership and booth level workers. With this unprecedented cooperation and support, every worker of India Alliance in all the 9 assembly seats has been filled with new energy with the resolve to win,” the post said.
Before the Congress’s official statement, which was released on Thursday, there were rumours that the party may not contest the bypolls on any of the seats in UP.
“The decision is part of a new seat-sharing formula where the Congress is giving Samajwadi Party (SP) a free hand in UP, while in Maharashtra, it expects the SP to field candidates on fewer seats, allowing the Congress to contest the maximum number of seats in the upcoming state assembly polls,” a senior Congress leader said.
On October 9, a day after the Congress suffered an unexpected loss in the Haryana assembly elections, the party was in for another surprise from its INDIA bloc partner SP which declared candidates for seven out of 10 bypoll-bound UP assembly seats, including the ones being eyed by the Congress. Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Avinash Pandey, had also expressed his discontent, stating, “This was a one-sided announcement, and we were not consulted about it.”
The SP had announced its candidates for Karhal, Katehari, Kundarki, Phulpur, Sisamu, Majhawan, and Meerapur. The party’s much-talked-about names include Akhilesh Yadav’s cousin Tej Pratap Yadav, who has been fielded from Karhal, while the Congress was offered the two seats of Khair and Ghaziabad Sadar against a demand of five seats.
The Congress, which secured six parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh in the April-June Lok Sabha elections, had requested that the SP allocate five vacant assembly seats previously won by the BJP in 2022. A senior Congress leader had stated that the party was particularly interested in the Majhawan, Ghaziabad, Khair, Meerapur, and Phulpur. However, the SP had already announced its candidates for Majhawan, Meerapur, and Phulpur, complicating the seat-sharing negotiations.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, though, had stated that in Maharashtra, he is hopeful of his party contesting 12 seats, finalised by the state president. Congress UP chief Ajai Rai told News18 that they will continue to support the SP as they have always followed the “gathbandhan dharm” (alliance ethics).
Bypolls were initially scheduled for ten seats in UP. However, the Election Commission of India announced elections only for nine seats — Karhal, Sisamau, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Phulpur, Majhawan, Katehari, Khair, and Meerapur — excluding Milkipur. Voting is set for November 13, with counting on November 23. The SP has so far announced candidates for seven seats, including Milkipur.
