Congress Demands 200 Seats in UP as Tensions Rise with Samajwadi Party

Dismissing rumors of a 150-seat compromise for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Congress state in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam has staked a claim for 200 constituencies. He insists that equal respect and a substantial share are non-negotiable for the party to remain a viable force in the state.

Editorial·October 4, 2026·reads: 251

Congress Demands 200 Seats in UP as Tensions Rise with Samajwadi Party

Gautam, speaking to ANI, emphasized that the Congress is currently overhauling its organizational presence across all 403 constituencies to prepare for the upcoming polls. He expects the state-level body to be finalized by the end of the week, noting that grassroots work is already complete in every village. The Congress leadership is pushing for a finalized seat-sharing agreement with the Samajwadi Party by October to ensure candidates have sufficient lead time for campaigning.

While asserting that the Congress is willing to be as flexible as the Constitution, Gautam challenged the Samajwadi Party’s recent electoral success. He attributed the SP’s 37-seat haul in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections directly to Rahul Gandhi’s campaign for social justice and constitutional advocacy. Gautam pointedly noted that the Samajwadi Party failed to achieve similar results even when in power or in previous alliances, signaling that the Congress expects a larger role in the INDIA bloc’s future strategy in Uttar Pradesh.