UP Election Seat Sharing : Political activity has intensified between the Samajwadi Party and Congress over seat-sharing ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The two parties, which are preparing to contest the elections together as alliance partners, have begun showing differences over the number of seats each should receive. Congress has reportedly staked a claim to around 200 Assembly constituencies before the Samajwadi Party. This represents nearly half of the state’s total 403 seats. Although the Congress demand does not represent the final seat-sharing figure, it signals that negotiations between the two parties could be challenging.

Seat List Reaches Akhilesh Through Mallikarjun Kharge
According to sources, the Congress high command has confidentially sent a list of constituencies it wants to contest to Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. Reports suggest that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was involved in conveying the list to the SP leadership. The list reportedly prioritises constituencies where Congress has MPs or an active party organisation. The party has based its claims on its political position and the strength of its local organisation. Congress believes it should get an opportunity to contest these constituencies.

Seat-Sharing Strategy Discussed During Delhi Meeting
Senior leaders from both parties also held a meeting in Delhi to discuss seat-sharing arrangements. Priyanka Gandhi attended the meeting. The Congress leadership sought feedback from Uttar Pradesh leaders about the political situation in different Assembly constituencies. Based on this information, a list of approximately 200 seats was prepared. The party now wants to strengthen its position within the alliance through these claims. However, there could be a significant difference between claiming 200 seats and actually contesting that many constituencies.

Congress Wants Around 125 to 130 Seats
According to sources, Congress wants to field its candidates in approximately 125 to 130 Assembly constituencies. On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party is reportedly willing to offer it only 40 to 50 seats. The SP leadership argues that Congress did not perform as expected in the previous Assembly elections. Therefore, giving the party a much larger share of seats may not be politically justified. This wide gap in expectations could make it difficult for the two parties to reach an agreement.

Samajwadi Party Wants to Retain Its Strongholds
The Samajwadi Party is preparing to field candidates on its own election symbol in approximately 340 to 350 of Uttar Pradesh’s 403 Assembly constituencies this time. In the previous Assembly elections, the party contested 347 seats using its own symbol. According to sources, the SP has also asked Congress to provide the names of potential candidates for the constituencies it has claimed. Through this, the party wants to assess where Congress is genuinely strong. For now, the SP has indicated that it will not announce its official candidates for the constituencies claimed by Congress until seat-sharing negotiations are completed. The final picture of the alliance will become clear only after the two parties conclude their discussions.