New Delhi [India], October 4 : Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam on Sunday said seat-sharing among INDIA bloc allies for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections should be settled in October itself, stressing that both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) must move forward together, while emphasising that the Congress is flexible in negotiations.
Speaking to ANI on seat-sharing, Gautam said the Congress and SP, the two main INDIA bloc parties in UP, should ensure equal respect and representation.
“All the parties with whom we have an alliance in the INDIA bloc are responsible. In Uttar Pradesh, the two main parties are Congress and the Samajwadi Party. Both are responsible; they also respect each other. We have to move forward together... The share and respect should be equal. I have been saying this from the beginning... When it comes to seat sharing, we are as flexible as the Constitution of India. If we have to bend a little, we will bend," he said.
He said that the Congress is flexible in negotiations and wanted the arrangement to be finalised early so that candidates get sufficient time to prepare for the elections.
“Today, I want to make it clear that the Congress Party is the oldest and largest party in the country... Regarding seat sharing, I have been saying from the beginning that we should settle the matter of seat sharing in October itself so that those contesting the elections get time to work,” he said.
On Friday, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said his party would continue with its existing alliance ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, while indicating that it was open to setting aside past differences with parties willing to unite on issues concerning democracy and the Constitution.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Yadav said the SP would continue with the existing alliance and work to strengthen it ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
"The alliance that was already there and defeated the BJP will continue. We will work to take that alliance forward," Yadav said.
On the possibility of an alliance with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Yadav said the SP would continue with the existing INDIA bloc arrangement.
"The Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance will move forward in 2027. We will move forward with the INDIA alliance," he said.
Meanwhile, UP will go to the polls in 2027, with the BJP and the SP expected to be the principal contenders.
The BJP had retained power in UP elections in 2022 by winning 255 out of 403 constituencies, securing a 41.29 per cent vote share.
Former CM Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party came a distant second in the 2022 election, securing 111 seats and getting 32.06 per cent of the votes.
The two other major parties - Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Indian National Congress (INC) - were reduced to a single digit. BSP won one seat and Congress won two seats.
Moreover, the vote shares of BSP and the Congress party stood at 12.88 per cent and 2.33 per cent, respectively.