Congress leaders on Tuesday, 22 September 2026 pushed back sharply against Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Iqra Hasan's assertion that only SP chief Akhilesh Yadav can defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh, with senior Congress figures invoking the Bengal precedent and 2024 alliance arithmetic to make their case for INDIA bloc unity ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Congress Response: 'Move Together, Stay in Peace'

Congress MP Imran Masood responded with a mix of warmth and pointed warning. 'She also cannot do it alone. What is the problem with that? Iqra is our child. She is like our niece,' he said. He then drew a direct comparison to West Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had similarly made solo claims before elections. 'People from the Trinamool Congress were also saying a lot. Look at what happened in Bengal. Let us move together, and we will remain in peace,' Masood added.

The Bengal reference carries weight: TMC's confident posture ahead of past cycles and the fractured opposition arithmetic in that state have historically served as a cautionary tale for parties that opt out of alliances.

Alliance Math: 'One Plus One Can Make Eleven'

Congress leader Udit Raj offered a sharper rebuttal rooted in electoral data. 'That may be her own statement, but we can understand this through an example: when the alliance was formed in 2024, the Samajwadi Party won 36 seats. What was its performance before that? The Samajwadi Party had only six MPs in 2019. So, in politics, one plus one does not always make two; one plus one can make eleven. Therefore, I think she should correct her understanding,' he said.

The numbers are unambiguous: the SP's Lok Sabha tally jumped sixfold — from 6 to 36 — in a single election cycle, entirely within an alliance framework. Congress argues that Hasan's remarks ignore this structural dependency.

What Iqra Hasan Had Said

The controversy was triggered on Monday, 21 September, when Iqra Hasan called Congress's independent electoral prospects in UP 'absolutely foolish' to even consider. 'If there is anyone in Uttar Pradesh who can defeat the BJP, it is only Akhilesh Yadav. Congress will not be able to do anything on its own. If the alliance remains, it will be very good; if it does not, it is a loss for them, not for us,' she said.

The remarks represent a notable escalation in tone within the INDIA bloc at a moment when opposition parties are calibrating their positions ahead of the UP 2027 state polls.

BJP Dismisses Both Sides

Uttar Pradesh BJP Vice-President Neeraj Singh used the intra-opposition sparring as an opportunity to reinforce his party's incumbency advantage. 'Congress will not be able to achieve anything on its own across the country. And even if it forms an alliance with the Samajwadi Party or any other party in Uttar Pradesh, the people of Uttar Pradesh have already formed an alliance in their hearts with the BJP government,' he said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is seeking a third consecutive term, remains the dominant figure framing BJP's re-election pitch in the state.

What's at Stake in UP 2027

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has 403 seats; elections are expected across multiple phases in February–March 2027, as the current Assembly's term expires in May 2027. The state, which sends the largest Lok Sabha contingent of any single state, is widely seen as a bellwether for national politics. How the SP–Congress relationship evolves in the coming months will significantly shape opposition strategy for both the state election and any federal calculus beyond it.