UP Bypolls: Congress Likely To Skip Contest Amid Strained Ties With Samajwadi Party Over Seat Sharing

UP Bypolls: The Congress party is considering skipping the upcoming bypolls in nine constituencies due to strained ties with the Samajwadi Party. Congress is unhappy with SP's offer of two seats.

The Congress party may refrain from contesting the upcoming bypolls in nine constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, as per sources. Tensions have reportedly emerged between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) within their alliance. According to the sources, the Congress is displeased with the SP's offer of only two seats out of the nine and is contemplating not fielding any candidates, leaving all nine seats for the SP.

Congress is also upset with the unilateral announcement of SP candidates. Shortly after the Haryana election results, the SP declared candidates for six seats. Congress’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Avinash Pandey, expressed discontent, stating, “This is a one-sided announcement, and we were not consulted about it.”

Despite some Congress leaders advocating for contesting all seats, it is likely that the party will refrain from fielding candidates in any of the nine constituencies. An official announcement is expected on Monday. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai stated, "We will field our candidates in the UP bypolls. Discussions are ongoing with the SP for five seats, and the final decision will be taken by the national leadership."

Uttar Pradesh Bypolls 2024

Bypolls were initially scheduled for ten seats in Uttar Pradesh; however, the Election Commission of India announced elections only for nine seats—Karhal, Sisamau, Kundarki, Ghaziabad, Phulpur, Majhawan, Katehri, Khair, and Meerapur—excluding Milkipur. Voting is set for 13 November, with counting on 23 November. The SP has so far announced candidates for a total of seven seats, including Milkipur. The Congress was offered the Khair seat in Aligarh and the Ghaziabad Sadar seat.

Rajendra Chaudhary, a close associate of Akhilesh Yadav, clarified in a recent interview with PTI that the SP would contest seven out of the nine seats, while Congress would field candidates in the remaining two. He also reiterated that the INDIA alliance remains intact and that both parties will contest the elections together with strength.

Congress-Samajwadi Party Ties Strained In Fallout of Haryana Polls?

Congress, which won six parliamentary seats in the Lok Sabha elections, had requested that SP allot five of the vacant seats where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won in the 2022 elections. Ajay Rai has also indicated that Congress is particularly interested in the Majhawan, Ghaziabad, Khair, Meerapur, and Phulpur seats. However, the SP has already announced its candidates for Majhawan, Meerapur, and Phulpur.

SP is reportedly unhappy with Congress’s approach during the Haryana elections, where it felt sidelined. On the day the Haryana results were announced, several SP leaders remarked that even if no seat was allotted to the party, Congress could have invited Akhilesh Yadav to campaign. SP legislator Ravidas Mehrotra also hinted at the dissatisfaction, saying that if the Congress gives importance to the SP in Maharashtra, the effects will be seen in Uttar Pradesh as well. 

The SP is demanding 12 seats in Maharashtra and has already announced candidates for five of them. The seat-sharing formula of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra remains unclear, and only time will reveal if Akhilesh Yadav's demand for 12 seats will be heeded by the MVA.