Samajwadi Party To Contest On 65 Lok Sabha Seats In UP, Ready To Give 15 To INDIA Bloc: Sources

Tensions erupted between two of the INDIA bloc partners last month when the SP accused the Congress of betrayal after the latter did not leave any seats for the former in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh polls.

Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party will contest 65 of the 80 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections if a seat-sharing deal materialises with the INDIA alliance partners, said sources on Thursday. This move also includes a remarkable gesture of SP leaving 15 seats, including the prestigious Amethi constituency - a Congress stronghold, for their INDIA alliance partners.

“The SP is prepared to contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP if INDIA partnership with the Congress stays, the SP would contest no less than 65 seats,” Akhilesh Yadava said at a party meeting earlier.

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is an opposition front consisting of leaders from 28 different political parties. They have come together to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In Uttar Pradesh, the INDIA alliance comprises four key constituents: Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), and Apna Dal (K).

Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence in the SP's ability to take on the BJP single-handedly in the state. He noted that the SP would have formed the government after the 2022 UP Assembly polls if the elections had been conducted without irregularities.

Akhilesh urged SP leaders and workers to follow the national leadership's policies and directives, avoiding internal factionalism and instead focusing on strengthening the party at the grassroots and organizational levels.

Yadav also touched upon recent tensions within the INDIA alliance. He revealed that the SP had requested only six seats from the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, where the party is in a stronger position. However, the Congress decided to field a candidate even on a seat that the SP had won in the 2018 polls.

Tensions escalated between two of the INDIA bloc partners last month when the SP accused the Congress of betrayal after the latter did not leave any seats for the former in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh polls. The SP later fielded candidates for 40 seats in MP.

Expose BJP's Government's Failures: Akhilesh To SP Workers

Akhilesh Yadav further encouraged leaders and workers to diligently expose what he referred to as "the BJP’s lies and propaganda, and their failures at all levels of governance." The SP National General Secretary, Ramgopal Yadav, cautioned against any form of groupism within the party and stressed that individuals engaging in anti-party activities should be swiftly dealt with.

SP National General Secretary Shivpal Yadav called for enhanced coordination and cooperation among party members to consolidate the party's strength and challenge the BJP government effectively. Yadav emphasized that the real battleground would be at the booth level and urged party members to remain strong and vigilant to secure the SP's victory.

During the last Lok Sabha elections, the SP entered into an alliance with the BSP and left three seats for the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). The SP and the BSP cobbled together an alliance in which the BSP contested 38 seats and the SP 37.

The alliance left two seats for the Congress - Rae Bareli and Amethi - and did not field their candidates there.