Congress MP Imran Masood on 26 September 2026 sharply pushed back against remarks by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Iqra Hasan, declaring that the Indian National Congress is “not begging” for an alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The retort signals deepening fissures within the INDIA Bloc as the two allies jostle over seat-sharing leverage in the country’s most electorally consequential state.

The Flashpoint

SP MP Iqra Hasan had reportedly stated that only SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is capable of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh, suggesting the Congress would accomplish little on its own. Masood dismissed this framing and countered that Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi remains the sole Opposition leader with a genuine national reach capable of unsettling the BJP. “Then don’t form an alliance. Who is asking for it? Are we begging anyone? Let everyone do what they want. When a wedding procession sets out, there are many drummers, as well as people who dance and sing. Let these people dance and sing. We are focussed on our work,” Masood said.

Shivpal Yadav Remark Adds Fuel

The exchange widened after SP MLA Shivpal Yadav reportedly claimed that Congress would not secure any votes in SP strongholds of Etawah, Mainpuri, and Saifai. Masood was dismissive in his response. “That may be his view; the Congress is focussed on its work. What Shivpal Yadav is saying has become irrelevant within his own party. If he says this to his leader, then it will have some significance; otherwise not,” he said. He added: “Many people keep saying many things, it does not make any difference.”

SP Hits Back at Congress

SP MP Ramashankar Rajbhar launched a veiled counter-attack, alleging that statements from “certain Congress leaders” are damaging the INDIA Bloc’s electoral prospects. “Some Congress leaders have been making statements that hurt the INDIA Bloc, and has the potential to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party. The alliance between the Samajwadi Party and Congress will be decided by Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, but the absurd statements being made by Congress leaders are only aimed at creating pressure,” Rajbhar said. He further remarked: “How much strength Congress has in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is well-known” — a pointed jab at the grand old party’s organisational standing in both states.

What It Means for the INDIA Bloc

This is not an isolated spat. The SP-Congress dynamic in Uttar Pradesh has historically been fraught: the two parties contested the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections together with mixed results, and Congress’s tally in UP has remained thin for over a decade. Critics argue that public bickering over alliance terms plays directly into the BJP’s hands, undermining Opposition unity messaging precisely when it matters most. Notably, the war of words is unfolding before any formal seat-sharing framework has been announced, suggesting that back-channel negotiations remain unsettled. How Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav manage their public representatives in the days ahead will likely determine whether these tensions dissipate or harden into a formal rupture.