Lucknow: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, a row over seat-sharing has broken out between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party after the Congress reportedly staked a claim to 125 seats.
Elections to the 403-member assembly are expected in February next year. The Congress has tasked Priyanka Gandhi with steering the talks, according to reports. She held a meeting with UP Congress leaders for about three hours on Monday.
Samajwadi Party leaders are unwilling to offer the Congress more than 60 to 65 seats, sources said. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has repeatedly said the question is not how many seats a party contests but its prospects of winning them. The SP is said to want to contest around 350 seats in the state on its own.
In the 2022 election, the Congress contested 399 seats and won just two, while the Samajwadi Party contested 347 and won 111. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the SP contested 62 of Uttar Pradesh's 80 seats and the Congress 17.
A split in Opposition votes could benefit the BJP, a concern voiced by some leaders. Akhilesh Yadav has tried to douse the fire, saying the focus should be on winning.
Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi urged Muslims to choose their own leaders. He is said to want a role in the Opposition alliance for the coming UP election.
Analysts say a split in the Opposition vote could help the BJP win a third straight term in the state. The bickering so far is largely confined to second-tier leaders. Uttar Pradesh has 403 assembly seats, with 202 needed for a majority.