Lucknow: The Congress has said it will seek at least 150 seats from its alliance arrangement with the Samajwadi Party (SP) for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with the seat-sharing formula likely to be finalised in October.
Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said the party has candidates available for all 403 Assembly constituencies in the state and would not contest fewer than 150 seats under the alliance arrangement.
“Seat-sharing will likely be finalised in the month of October. Congress has candidates available to contest all 403 seats. Under the alliance, the Congress party is entitled to get 50 per cent of the seats. Congress will not contest fewer than 150 seats,” Gautam said.
Congress-SP Seat-Sharing Talks
Gautam said Congress has been working on the seat-sharing exercise for the past two months. He said senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi and KC Venugopal, are involved in the process.
The Congress and SP are key constituents of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh and had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state as alliance partners.
The distribution of Assembly seats is expected to be a key part of negotiations between the two parties ahead of the 2027 polls. Recent reports have indicated that Congress has been preparing a list of constituencies it wants to contest, while the final arrangement will require agreement between the alliance partners.
Congress Has Candidates for All 403 Seats
The Congress state leadership has said it has potential candidates available across all 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
Gautam’s latest statement puts a minimum figure of 150 seats on the party’s demand under the alliance arrangement. Earlier reports had also indicated that Congress was considering a larger range of seats as part of its negotiations with the SP.
The final number of seats to be contested by each party, however, will depend on the outcome of the seat-sharing talks.
BJP Begins Preparations for 2027 UP Polls
Meanwhile, the BJP is also preparing its organisational strategy for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The party is scheduled to hold a two-day organisational meeting in Mathura on October 3 and 4, with discussions expected to focus on electoral preparations, organisational strengthening and coordination in the Braj region. BJP national president Nitin Nabin is scheduled to chair the meeting.
With the Assembly elections approaching, discussions among the major political parties over alliances, constituencies and organisational preparations are expected to continue in the coming months.