'Victory should be only criteria for seat- sharing': Akhilesh's Samajwadi Party signals 'hard bargain' with Congress for UP polls

The Samajwadi Party chief made it clear that the formula of seat sharing would not be numbers, but victory.

Lucknow: Notwithstanding Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks that I.N.D.I.A. bloc was intact in Uttar Pradesh and that his party’s alliance with Congress would continue in the state, there are strong indications that he intends to drive a ‘hard bargain’ with the grand old party on the issue of seat sharing in the next Assembly polls in the state and may not yield to any kind of pressure tactics.

Akhilesh made it clear while speaking to reporters here recently that the formula of seat sharing would not be numbers, but victory.

‘’It’s a message to Congress that it shouldn't expect much in terms of seats from the SP and also that chances of winning will decide the number of seats to be given to it,’’ said a senior SP leader while speaking to DH here.

He said that Congress should not ‘over estimate’ its strength in UP. ‘’Congress lacks organisational structure in the state,’’ he added.

‘’What'll ultimately matter is victory and it should be the only criteria for seat sharing….after all it'll also be in the interest of Congress that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc does well in the Assembly polls,’’ the leader said. 

Apparently pre-empting such a scenario and also to send the message to the SP that it had ‘options’ in UP, Congress has sent feelers to BSP supremo Mayawati about joining the grand opposition alliance.

Congress leaders had recently landed at Mayawati’s door step uninvited but she snubbed them and they had to return without meeting her causing a huge embarrassment to the party.

Congress leaders may have sought to wriggle out of the situation by saying that they only wanted to inquire about Mayawati’s health, sources in the state party said that they wanted to send a message to Akhilesh that they had other options in the state.

SP and Congress had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in alliance in UP and had managed to reduce the BJP tally considerably in the state. The alliance had won 44 seats while BJP managed to win only 33 seats of the total 80.

‘’Congress has influence in pockets in UP but it may divide the Muslim votes if it contests alone hurting the SP prospects,’’ said a Lucknow based political analyst.