Lucknow:
After much dilly-dallying, the Congress has officially begun seat-sharing talks with the Samajwadi Party for next year's Uttar Pradesh elections and submitted an initial list of more than 175 seats where it feels it can make an impression in an alliance.
Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam told PTI that the list was shared with Samajwadi Party leaders a couple of days ago; the leaders of the two parties will soon discuss the seat-sharing arrangements in detail.
"I can't give you the exact numbers, but we have submitted a list for 175 to 200 seats," Gautam told PTI, hinting that the party is open to negotiations ahead of polls to the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
The leadership of both parties will sit together to thrash out nitty-gritties of the seat-sharing arrangements, Gautam said.
However, not many within the Samajwadi Party are convinced of the Congress' political heft to demand 175-200 seats, the 2024 Lok Sabha poll results notwithstanding, sources said.
A senior Samajwadi Party leader said, "I think our leader Akhilesh Yadav has made it clear that winnability is the sole criterion (for contesting the polls). Anyone can demand anything but in politics, to reach an acceptable and meaningful solution, you have to move beyond posturing."
The scepticism is not baseless as the Congress' graph in Uttar Pradesh has been dipping since 1989, when it last held power in the most populous state of the country.
In the meantime, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said the collective goal is to remove the BJP from power, and the alliance will move forward effectively.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow on Friday, he said, "The Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and the INDIA bloc must be strengthened. Our collective goal is to see that the BJP is removed. To ensure the ouster of the BJP, we will make people understand, and we will do so. The alliance will move forward effectively to defeat the BJP."
The Congress contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on its own but could win only two seats, faring worse than its seven-seat show in 2017.
However, the 2024 Lok Sabha poll results -- which saw the Congress win six seats and its ally Samajwadi Party secure 37 seats, limiting the BJP to 33 -- have raised the party's hopes, its leaders admitted.
"It is obvious. The 2024 Lok Sabha results were proof that together the two parties can make an impact. In politics, there has to be room for meaningful give and take," a senior Congress leader told PTI.
Gautam said he is hopeful of a reasonable seat-sharing arrangement, asserting that the two parties will jointly contest next year's Uttar Pradesh polls.
The recent leadership change in Uttar Pradesh Congress, which replaced former state unit chief Ajay Rai with lawmaker Aradhana Misra Mona, is also believed to have been aimed at facilitating an amicable seat-sharing arrangement.
Many say Rai was not keen on a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party, believing that a post-poll arrangement would suit the party more.
However, Mona's excellent relations with the Samajwadi Party leadership may have been a factor for the party opting for her months ahead of the polls, some Congress leaders feel.
Taking a leaf out of the BJP's book, the Congress has categorised seats based on its assessment of the party's position, and the seat-sharing talks will focus on this aspect, sources said.
The 2027 contest is shaping up primarily between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Samajwadi Party-led opposition, with the Congress seeking a substantial share of seats in a renewed alliance.
Smaller NDA allies, including the Apna Dal (S) and the Nishad Party, could play supporting roles.
The BSP remains a separate factor in Uttar Pradesh, where seat-sharing and caste equations will influence the contest.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)