Congress Seeks Equal Split of 'Difficult' U.P. Seats in Alliance Talks with Samajwadi Party

Amid a public exchange of words between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress over seat-sharing in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, Congress leaders said on Monday (October 5, 2026) that the "quality" of seats, not just their number, must be part of any agreement.

"Quality seats matter in any alliance. Here (in the SP-Congress alliance), quality along with quantity (the number of seats) will also matter," Imran Masood, working president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, said.

Another senior Congress leader said any workable framework must reflect conditions on the ground. The leader referred to the 2017 Assembly polls, when the Congress was allotted 105 seats and won seven. An alliance partner may raise questions about that strike rate, the leader said, but should not overlook that more than 70 of those roughly 100 seats were extremely difficult to win — including many urban constituencies and seats held by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the past.

"A realistic approach should be to divide difficult seats equally, and the remaining seats in a 2:1 ratio between the SP and the Congress," the leader said, adding that Rahul Gandhi's appeal among marginalised groups was evident from the 2024 Lok Sabha poll outcomes in many parts of the country.

The Congress estimates that around 80 of Uttar Pradesh's 403 Assembly seats are difficult to win, given past results and the State's social realities. Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous State and its Assembly is the largest in the country.

The disagreement over seat-sharing sharpened in recent days after SP Lok Sabha MP from Pratapgarh, Shivpal Singh Patel, said the Congress should not expect more than 50 seats. Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam responded sharply, saying that if that was the SP's position, the party should state clearly whether it wants an alliance at all. He described Mr. Patel's remark as frivolous.

The Congress and the Samapwadi Party have contested Uttar Pradesh elections together before, including in 2017 and 2022, and were partners in the Opposition INDIA bloc arrangement in the State during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Seat-sharing negotiations in multi-party alliances typically weigh several factors: a party's organisational strength in a constituency, the social profile of the electorate, the sitting MLA or MP, and the results of the most recent elections.

Both parties have said they want to present a united challenge to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the State. The BJP has been in power in Uttar Pradesh since 2017 and returned to office in 2022. The next Assembly election is due in 2027.

Leaders on both sides have so far avoided closing the door on talks. Congress leaders said discussions on the number of seats would have to be accompanied by an honest assessment of where each partner can realistically win. SP leaders have argued that the party's own base and recent electoral performance should be reflected in the final formula.

The Congress's public position is that an alliance should be judged by its ability to convert seats into victories, rather than by the size of the share each partner receives on paper. Party leaders said the formula they have suggested is a starting point for negotiation, not a final demand.

The talks are being watched closely because Uttar Pradesh sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha, the largest contingent of any State. How the two parties settle their differences is likely to shape the shape of Opposition unity in other States where similar negotiations are under way.