Akhilesh Yadav clamps down on SP dissent over Congress seat demands

Patel’s public critique centered on the stark electoral disparity between the allies, noting that the Congress holds only two seats in the assembly compared to the Samajwadi Party’s 125. The MP argued that offering the Congress more than 30 seats would be a tactical error, suggesting that any allocation beyond that threshold risks squandering potential victories in a state where the BJP maintains a dominant 41.29 per cent vote share.

In response to the friction, newly appointed UP Congress president Aradhana Mishra downplayed the comments, insisting that seat-sharing mathematics will be handled exclusively by national leadership. As the 2027 polls approach, the pressure on the SP to manage its internal ranks is mounting; the party finished second in 2022 with 111 seats, while the Congress and BSP were relegated to single-digit tallies. Yadav’s directive serves as a preemptive strike against further public fragmentation as the coalition attempts to coalesce against the ruling BJP.