UP Election 2027: Why Congress Is Pushing Samajwadi Party For Early Seat-Sharing Talks
News india UP Election 2027: Why Congress Is Pushing Samajwadi Party For Early Seat-Sharing Talks UP Election 2027: Why Congress Is Pushing Samajwadi Party For
News india UP Election 2027: Why Congress Is Pushing Samajwadi Party For Early Seat-Sharing Talks UP Election 2027: Why Congress Is Pushing Samajwadi Party For Early Seat-Sharing Talks Published By, Last Updated: August 10, 2026, 13:55 IST Ahead of the UP elections 2027, Congress is looking to replicate the 2024 Lok Sabha success while avoiding the mistakes of its 2017 alliance with SP. Rapid Read Akhilesh Yadav (left) and Rahul Gandhi. (PTI File) The Congress wants seat-sharing negotiations with the Samajwadi Party (SP) for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections to begin early, but its pitch is not simply for a larger share of the state’s 403 constituencies. Instead, the party wants the talks to revolve around “winnable" or “quality" seats — constituencies where its organisational presence, candidate strength and caste equations, combined with the SP’s support base, could give the alliance a stronger chance of victory. The approach is significant for a Congress that has only a marginal presence in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly but saw its fortunes improve sharply when it fought the 2024 Lok Sabha election in alliance with the SP. It also comes as both parties conduct their own surveys across all 403 Assembly seats, potentially laying the groundwork for eventual negotiations over who should contest where. Congress Looks Beyond The Seat-Sharing Numbers Congress leaders are arguing against a seat-sharing formula based primarily on the number of constituencies allotted to each alliance partner. The party instead wants winnability to determine its claims, even if that means focusing on a smaller set of constituencies where it sees a realistic path to victory. “We are clear about one thing. We want our CM in place but that is up to the SP. We want to increase our presence in the state. For that, it is important to contest ‘quality’ seats," a Congress leader told The Indian Express. The calculation also challenges the idea that a constituency should automatically remain with one party because it has traditionally contested from there.
“If a party has been losing a seat three times, giving that seat to it does not add to the alliance. If the other party’s candidate can bring its vote plus the alliance partner’s vote together, then that becomes a stronger proposition," a Congress MP told the newspaper. For the Congress, the objective is two-fold: improve its representation in the Assembly while rebuilding an organisational base that has weakened considerably in Uttar Pradesh. 403-Seat Surveys Could Shape Congress-SP Bargain Both the Congress and SP are separately assessing all 403 constituencies ahead of the election. The surveys are expected to look at previous electoral performance, caste combinations, organisational strength, candidate potential and whether the support bases of the two parties can be transferred effectively to each other. “In an earlier meeting, it was decided that we should prepare for all 403 seats and strengthen the organisation. But as the elections approach, we need to identify the seats where caste combinations and the support of the SP can turn them into winnable seats for the Congress," a Congress MP told The Indian Express. Another Congress MP said both sides were carrying out their own exercises before the leadership eventually takes a decision. “The SP is conducting its own survey, so is Congress, to come to a common ground. The final call will be taken by the party leadership," the MP said. SP Says It Has ‘Bigger Stake’ In UP Any eventual agreement will also have to account for the difference in the two parties’ strength in Uttar Pradesh. While the Congress is seeking to expand its Assembly presence, the SP remains the larger partner in the state. A senior SP leader told The Indian Express that alliance decisions would be taken by the top leadership and said the party could not comment on the Congress’s “internal affairs". “We have a bigger stake than the Congress in the 2027 Assembly polls. The seat-sharing would be on the basis of the winability of the candidates," the SP leader said.
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