SP MP Questions Congress Demand for 150 Seats in UP
Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel has questioned Congress’s demand for 150 seats in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, citing its previous electoral performance.
Seat-sharing talks between the Samajwadi Party and Congress ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are already showing signs of disagreement, with SP MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel questioning Congress’s reported demand for 150 seats.
Patel said Congress should seek seats based on its electoral strength and organisational presence in the state. He said even allocating 50 seats to Congress would be a significant concession, while stressing that the alliance between the two parties should continue.
Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam recently said the party would seek at least 150 of the state’s 403 Assembly seats.
Patel pointed to Congress’s performance in the 2022 Assembly election, when it won two seats after contesting 399. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Congress won six of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats, while the SP won 37.
Patel also made a claim about Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest Rae Bareli in 2024, saying Gandhi had initially been reluctant and decided to file his nomination after discussions with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. That account was presented by Patel and has not been independently established in the supplied material.
With formal seat-sharing discussions expected later this month, the two allies will now have to negotiate a formula acceptable to both sides. And if the opening round is anything to go by, the calculator may be getting more attention than the campaign speeches.
