Lucknow: Seat-sharing talks between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections have begun, with the Congress putting forward a claim for about 170 of the state's 403 seats. Sources in both parties confirmed the first round of discussions, days after the SP leadership met jailed party leader Azam Khan at Rampur district jail.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Thursday that he had discussed all 403 Assembly seats with Khan. Asked about the Rampur seat, Yadav said Khan had not asked for any particular constituency but had offered suggestions that the party had noted. He said defeating the BJP remained the SP's main goal. "The Samajwadi Party's direct objective is to defeat the BJP, and every party worker is ready for it," he said.
The meeting drew a sharp reaction from the BJP. National general secretary Vinod Tawde alleged that the SP planned to make Khan the state's home minister if it came to power, and accused Khan of promoting lawlessness. Khan was convicted along with his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, in dual PAN card cases and sentenced to seven years in prison.
The Congress's 170-seat pitch is seen as an opening position. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the two parties contested in alliance but with the SP as the dominant partner. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw them again share seats as part of the INDIA bloc.
Leaders from both sides said the discussions would continue over the coming weeks, with alliance partners' suggestions also to be taken up. No seat-sharing formula has been announced so far. Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls in 2027.