On Wednesday (21st February) the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Samajwadi Party finalised the seat-sharing formula of the I.N.D.I. alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. According to the agreement, the Congress is set to contest 17 seats from the largest state while the Samajwadi Party and other small parties in the alliance will contest 63 seats. However, the Congress is now reportedly asserting its demand for Lakhimpur Khiri and Shravasti seats as well. The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, is not ready to give these seats to the Congress.
With only 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections, many senior Congress leaders have been left disappointed and upset. These leaders have started trying hard from Delhi to Moradabad to push their cases, as most of the party leaders have arrived in Moradabad to join the second phase of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra starting on Saturday. Former union minister Salman Khurshid is one such leader.
Expressing his disappointment over the seat sharing formula, Khurshid posted from his X handle, “How many tests will my relations with Farrukhabad have to face? The question is not about me but about the future of all of us, about the future generations. Never bowed before the decisions of fate. I can break, I can’t bend.”
फ़र्रुख़ाबाद से मेरे रिश्तों के कितने इम्तहान का सामना करना पड़ेगा? सवाल मेरा नहीं पर हमारे सब के मुस्तक़ाबिल का है, आने वाली नस्लों का है। क़िस्मत के फ़ैसलों के सामने कभी झुका नहीं । टूट सकता हूँ , झुकूँ गा नहीं। तुम साथ देनेका वादा करो, मैं नघमे सुनाता रहूँ
— Salman Khurshid (@salman7khurshid) February 23, 2024
Salman Khurshid has been a Member of Parliament from Farukkhabad twice, winning in 1991 and 2009.
Earlier, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress held talks regarding seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha election. Now, it has been revealed from sources that the Congress also wants Lakhimpur Kheri and Shravasti seats from UP in addition to the 17 seats it got in the seat-sharing agreement. Of the 17 seats that the SP has given to the Congress, both these seats are currently not with the Congress. The Congress has offered to the SP to exchange these two seats with any two of the Ghaziabad, Mathura, and Barabanki seats.
According to reports, Sonia Gandhi herself has spoken to Akhilesh Yadav about this demand. The Congress wants to field Ravi Verma and Naseemuddin Siddiqui respectively from Lakhimpur Kheri and Shravasti seats. The seats allotted to the Congress as per the formula decided between the coalition parties in the I.N.D.I. alliance are Amethi, Rae Bareli, Varanasi, Saharanpur, Amroha, Sitapur, Jhansi, Ghaziabad, Maharajganj, Fatehpur Sikri, Kanpur, Mathura, Deoria, Bansgaon, Bulandshahr, Prayagraj, and Barabanki.
Former minister Nakul Dubey, former state Congress Brijlal Khabri, and Rajesh Pati Mishra are among other leaders who are left disappointed by the seat-sharing. Nakul Dubey was seeking a ticket from Lucknow or Sitapur. Lucknow has gone to SP in the seat-sharing formula. Former MLA Rakesh Rathore is set to be fielded from Sitapur. In this situation, Nakul Dubey is preparing to contest the election from Sitapur independently.
Brijlal Khabri was claiming ticket from Jalaun but this seat was also not allotted to INC in the alliance negotiations. Similarly, Rajesh Pati Mishra was planning to contest from Bhadohi. However, the Congress state president Ajay Rai said, “Preparations were made to contest elections on all 80 seats. Party leaders have made preparations for every seat. But we have got 17 seats under the I.N.D.I. alliance. At present, elections will be fought on these seats only.” He also refuted the claims of senior Congress leaders being disappointed by the seat-sharing formula finalised.
Earlier on Wednesday, Congress Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pande said while addressing a press conference, “I am delighted to tell you that it has been decided that in Uttar Pradesh the INC will contest on 17 seats and the remaining 63 seats will have candidates from the I.N.D.I. Alliance – from SP and other parties.”
Uttar Pradesh is not the only once where Congress leaders are expressing their disappointment over seat sharing agreements with alliance partners. Earlier, family members of the Late Congress leader Ahmed Patel expressed their disappointment over seat sharing agreement with Aam Aadmi Party in the state of Gujarat. Ahmed Patel’s daughter Mumtaz Patel and his son Faisal Ahmed Patel took to social media to express their disappointment after their father’s stronghold of Bharuch was given to AAP as part of the seat sharing agreement.
