Hyderabad:Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav has declared that the Congress will contest 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, sources indicate that the Congress leadership in the state has not yet agreed to this arrangement.
Yadav expressed optimism about the alliance, highlighting the potential for success with the allotted seats. Despite the announcement, internal disagreement within the Congress remains apparent, with the decision attributed solely to Yadav.
Uttar Pradesh, with 80 Lok Sabha seats, holds significant electoral importance. In the 2019 elections, the BJP and its ally secured a substantial majority, while the SP-BSP alliance and Congress performed modestly.
Earlier speculations suggested Congress's ambition to contest 50 seats in the polls, contrasting Yadav's proposal for 11 seats. Amid reports of Congress leaders rejecting the alliance, the Samajwadi Party clarified that the proposal could be reconsidered with input from Congress regarding potential winning candidates.
In a recent interview, Yadav criticized Congress for its perceived lack of enthusiasm in engaging with alliance partners within the INDIA bloc, attributing ongoing tensions to the party's attitude.
Yadav's announcement follows the recent rejections of alliance offers by the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, adding to the uncertainty surrounding Congress's role in the upcoming polls.
