Has the SP-Congress alliance finalised seat-sharing for UP by-polls? Cong to fight 3, SP to contest 7 seats, say sources

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress have joined forces to contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly by-elections, aiming to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to sources from India Today, the two parties have forged an alliance, and it is possible that SP may contest 7 seats, while the Congress could fight on 3 seats. 

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the SP-Congress alliance made a massive impact in Uttar Pradesh, securing 43 seats collectively and reducing the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to just 36 seats. Buoyed by this success, the INDIA Alliance partners are now focusing on a strategic seat-sharing arrangement for the by-elections in 10 assembly segments scheduled for later this year.

According to sources, a meeting of all district presidents has been called by UP Congress on July 21 in Lucknow to finalise things. It is possible that SP may seek to contest 7 seats while Congress may get 3 seats.

Of the 10 assembly seats set to go to the polls, five were previously held by the SP, three by the BJP, and one each by BJP allies Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the NISHAD party. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Ajai Rai has already confirmed to various news portals that high-level discussions regarding seat-sharing are ongoing, with both parties determined to present a united front in the by-elections.

While the exact distribution of seats between the SP and Congress remains undecided, senior Congress leaders have indicated that the party will likely seek seats previously held by the BJP and its allies. The UP assembly declared these 10 seats vacant between June 7 and 18, and the by-elections are to be held within six months from the date of vacancy.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to conduct the by-elections alongside the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra later this year.

The five seats held by the SP include Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Karhal (Mainpuri), Milkipur (Ayodhya), Kundarki (Moradabad), and Sisamau (Kanpur). The Sisamau seat was vacated by SP MLA Irfan Solanki following his disqualification due to a seven-year criminal conviction. Additionally, Katehari was vacated by SP MLA Lalji Verma, who won the Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha seat, and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav resigned from the Karhal (Mainpuri) assembly seat after securing a win from the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat.