Posters projecting a Congress claim to 200 seats in Uttar Pradesh triggered a political row on Sunday, with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accusing the BJP of orchestrating the campaign to divide the INDIA bloc ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.
Calling the posters "fake", Akhilesh demanded action against municipal officials for allowing their display without permission or payment of the prescribed fees.
Claiming that the BJP is worried about the opposition alliance, Yadav said in an X post that the posters have been put up without official permission or payment of the requisite charges.
The remarks followed after posters and hoardings with the slogan "200 seat haq hai hamara, UP ko hai Rahul Gandhi par bharosa" appeared in Lucknow and other districts, carrying images of Rahul Gandhi and local leaders, with Akhilesh accusing the BJP of putting them up to create a rift in the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance ahead of next year's Uttar Pradesh elections.
The posters highlight the Congress' "push" for roughly 200 seats as part of its seat-sharing negotiations with the Samajwadi Party (SP), though not many within the SP are convinced of the former's political heft to demand so many seats, sources said.
Demanding action against the officials concerned, Yadav said the municipal authorities should be suspended for failing to act against those putting up the posters without paying the required fees.
He alleged that the "unauthorised" display of the posters is causing revenue losses to the local bodies, claiming that non-payment of fees could be aimed at concealing the identities of those behind the campaign.
Yadav also said that the SP is maintaining a date-wise record of such "incidents" and the officials responsible for them.
He also said that if voted to power, the SP-led PDA government would take action against officials involved in corruption, and activate the Enforcement Directorate, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Economic Offences Wing to examine their conduct.
PDA is an acronym coined by Yadav that stands for 'Pichhde' (backward classes), Dalits, and 'Alpsankhyak' (minorities).
Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said the INDIA bloc is united and its fight is aimed at protecting social justice, democracy and the Constitution.
In a post on X, Gautam said the BJP can spread confusion or hatch conspiracies, but it won't be able to break or even harm the opposition alliance.
"The INDIA bloc is united, and it will remain united," he said.
After much dilly-dallying, the Congress has officially initiated seat-sharing talks with the Samajwadi Party for next year's Uttar Pradesh elections, submitting an initial list of more than "175 seats" where the party feels it can make an impression in an alliance.
The list was shared with the Samajwadi Party leaders a couple of days back, Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam told PTI, adding that the leaders of the two parties will soon hold a detailed discussion on the nature of seat-sharing arrangements.
"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 the polls to the 403 Assembly seats in the state.
After much dilly-dallying, the Congress officially initiated seat-sharing talks with the SP earlier this week for next year's Assembly elections, submitting an initial list of more than "175 seats" where the party feels it can make an impression in an alliance.
The list has been shared with the SP leaders, Gautam had told PTI then, adding that the leaders of the two parties will soon hold a detailed discussion on the seat-sharing arrangements.
"I can't give you the exact numbers, but we have submitted a list for 175 to 200 seats," Gautam had said, hinting that the party is open to negotiations ahead of the polls to the 403 Assembly seats in the state.
Also Read
There is scepticism about the Congress' proposed list given that its graph in Uttar Pradesh has been dipping since 1989, when it last held power in the most populous state of the country.
The party contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls on its own but could win just two seats, faring worse than its seven-seat show in 2017.
The 2024 Lok Sabha poll results, when the Congress won six seats in alliance with the SP that won 37 seats to limit the BJP to 33, have, however, raised the party's hopes, Congress leaders said.