Congress demands equal seat-sharing with Samajwadi Party in UP
What's the story
The Indian National Congress's newly appointed Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Rajendra Pal Gautam, has demanded an equal seat-sharing arrangement with the Samajwadi Party (SP). Speaking to NDTV after taking charge, Gautam said he would personally prefer an equal share of seats. However, formal talks on seat-sharing for the upcoming UP assembly elections are yet to begin between the two parties.
Past alliances
History of alliances between Congress and SP
Historically, the Congress and SP have had a mixed record of alliances in UP. Ten years ago, the Samajwadi Party contested 298 seats while the Congress got 105. However, their alliance collapsed after a poor performance against the BJP. The two parties reunited for the Lok Sabha elections and won together, with SP winning 37 of 62 seats and Congress winning six of 17 seats.
Seat negotiations
Seat-sharing negotiations to be challenging task
The NDTV report cited sources suggesting that the Congress may demand around 150 seats in the alliance for the upcoming assembly elections. However, early indications suggest the SP may not be willing to offer more than 70-80 seats to Congress. This makes seat-sharing negotiations a challenging task. In this backdrop, Gautam has tried to put pressure on SP by demanding an "equal share."
Vote strategy
Congress believes they can transfer Dalit and Brahmin votes
Congress leaders believe they deserve a bigger share this time around, citing their previous seat allotment in 2017. They also think that if given a prominent role in the alliance, they could help transfer Dalit and Brahmin votes to SP. UP Congress state president Ajay Rai's upper-caste background adds weight to this strategy.
Political outreach
Gautam reaches out to Mayawati
Gautam has also reached out to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, calling her a "strong leader." He had visited her home in Lucknow last month, but couldn't meet her. His outreach is seen as an attempt by Congress to woo Mayawati's vote bank and counter MP Chandrashekhar Azad's rising political profile in UP politics.
In-charge profile
Gautam faces an uphill task ahead of assembly elections
Gautam, a Dalit lawyer by profession, was initially active in the BSP before joining the Congress in 2024. He quickly rose through the ranks and was made head of Congress's Scheduled Castes department last year. However, he faces an uphill task as the Congress lacks a strong organizational structure in UP. The party had only won two seats in the last assembly elections compared to SP's 111 seats.