Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders on Sunday, 15 November, expressed firm confidence about contesting the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections jointly, even as the two parties remain locked in seat-sharing negotiations. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, dismissed the alliance as inconsequential, arguing that a larger opposition coalition would only benefit the ruling party.

What Congress Leaders Said

Congress leader Abhishek Dutt said organisational groundwork was already underway across all 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, and that final decisions on seat distribution would be made by senior leadership in consultation with SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav. 'We are going to defeat the BJP together,' Dutt said, adding that parties which only appear during elections and disappear afterwards were not serving voters well.

Congress MP Pramod Tiwari welcomed Akhilesh Yadav's public statement on joint contesting, citing their coordinated performance in Parliament as evidence of the alliance's value. 'We fought together in Parliament and benefited from it. We will fight together in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls and form the government in the state,' Tiwari said. He pointed to the alliance's earlier tally of 47 seats as a baseline for optimism, while acknowledging challenges ahead.

Former Union Minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid said the two parties were engaged in what he described as 'an honest conversation,' and expressed hope that a mutually acceptable seat-sharing arrangement would emerge. 'I just pray and hope for the best,' Khurshid said.

BJP Pushes Back

BJP spokesperson T.R. Srinivas was dismissive. He argued that Congress has a historically weak record in direct electoral battles against the BJP, and that a broader opposition front would paradoxically benefit the ruling party. 'The more parties come together, the better for us,' Srinivas said, alleging that both Congress and the Samajwadi Party seek to mobilise voters along caste and religious lines rather than developmental issues. He said BJP would be judged on its record in development, investment, employment generation, and infrastructure.

Allies and Critics Weigh In

Shiv Sena spokesperson Anand Dubey questioned Congress's bargaining position, pointing out that the party has not held power in Uttar Pradesh since 1989 — a gap of nearly 36 to 37 years — and does not currently hold the status of the principal opposition in the state. 'When they have nothing at all, does it hold any meaning no matter how many seats they demand? It has no meaning,' Dubey said.

NCP-SP National Spokesperson Naseem Siddiqui defended coalition politics broadly, citing precedents from the government of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee — which rested on a 22-party coalition — and the current administration under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, Siddiqui questioned the reported Congress demand for 181 Assembly seats, saying it was disproportionate to the party's organisational footprint. 'The Samajwadi Party is the biggest force in Uttar Pradesh. Congress can ask for 50 or 100, but not 181,' he said.

The Seat-Sharing Gap

According to reports, Congress has sought 181 of the 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the Samajwadi Party is reportedly expecting Congress to settle for 50 to 60 constituencies — a wide chasm that both sides say discussions will bridge. This comes amid a broader national pattern where the INDIA bloc's constituent parties have frequently struggled to reconcile seat allocations in large states, with Uttar Pradesh — with its 80 Lok Sabha seats — historically the most consequential battleground.

How the Congress-SP negotiations conclude in the coming weeks could set the tone for opposition unity across other states ahead of the assembly cycle.