The Congress wants to contest 181 of the 403 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for early 2027, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has revealed, offering a glimpse into the seat-sharing negotiations between the two INDIA bloc allies.
Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2026 on Saturday, Yadav indicated that the Congress had sought more seats than the figure suggested to him during the interaction. He confirmed the number through a series of exchanges with the interviewer.
Asked whether the Congress had demanded 100 seats, Yadav said the party's demand was higher. He was then asked whether it had sought 200 seats, to which he replied that the number was slightly lower.
When asked specifically if the figure was 180, Yadav responded: “Add one to 180.”
Describing the SP's relationship with the Congress as “very good”, he said his party had already decided how many seats it would contest. He reiterated that the alliance's primary objective was to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Rule and reality will change in UP,” Yadav said, referring to the summit's theme, ‘New Rules. New Realities’.
Congress revival in Uttar Pradesh after 2024 performance
The Congress's improved performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when it contested in alliance with the SP, has raised expectations of a revival in the state, where it has been out of power since 1989.
The SP-Congress alliance won 43 of Uttar Pradesh's 80 Lok Sabha seats and secured 43.52% of the total votes. The Congress won six of the 17 constituencies it contested, polling 9.46% of the votes.
The BJP, meanwhile, saw its tally fall from 62 seats in 2019 to 33 in 2024. Its reduced numbers also meant that the party fell below the majority mark in Parliament for the first time since 2014.
The Congress's performance marked a significant improvement from the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, when it contested independently and managed to win just two seats, compared with seven in 2017. The SP had won 111 seats in the 2022 polls.
The next Assembly election is due in early 2027, with the principal contest expected to be between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the SP-led Opposition.
SP to release ‘Jan-Man Manifesto’ on November 26
As part of its preparations for the election, the SP has announced that it will release its ‘Jan-Man Manifesto’ on November 26, coinciding with Constitution Day.
The party has described the document as ‘Sattais Ka Sankalp: PDA Ka Prannpatra’, or the resolve for 2027 and the pledge of the PDA. The term PDA, used by Yadav, refers to backward classes, Dalits and minorities.
The manifesto is expected to focus on the aspirations and concerns of these communities, along with issues affecting people across the state. The SP has also indicated that it intends to prepare separate manifestos for all 75 districts, taking into account local priorities and regional concerns.
The announcement came as seat-sharing discussions with the Congress remained a key issue ahead of the election.
Yadav targets BJP over electoral setbacks
During the summit, Yadav accused the BJP of misleading not just particular communities but the entire country, adding that the consequences of its politics were now becoming visible.
He pointed to the party's setbacks in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2026 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections as significant indications of changing political circumstances.
Recalling the BJP's rise to power at the Centre, Yadav said Uttar Pradesh had played a decisive role in its electoral victories in both 2014 and 2019.
“When the government was formed at the Centre in 2014, Uttar Pradesh played a major role in bringing it to power. Even when the government was formed again in 2019, Uttar Pradesh played a decisive role. And today, when the BJP has lost ground in Uttar Pradesh, the government at the Centre is an alliance government. It is not a BJP government on its own,” he said.
In the recent Legislative Council elections, the BJP won six of the 11 graduate and teacher constituency seats, while the SP secured five, improving on its tally of three in 2020.
The SP also wrested both Varanasi seats, including the constituency in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency, from the BJP. The ruling party lost the Lucknow graduates, Agra teachers and Allahabad-Jhansi graduates constituencies to the SP.
Yadav avoids comment on BSP's declining political strength
Asked about the erosion of the support base of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), led by Mayawati, Yadav declined to comment on the electoral position of an individual political party.
“I do not want to comment on any particular political party. Let us talk about the community instead,” he said.
The BSP has been facing a decline in its legislative representation. Its only member in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly died in August, while the party currently has no representation in Parliament.
SP backs CJP protests, says youth want clarity
Yadav also spoke about the protests organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), saying the movement was directed against the BJP and had emerged from concerns over the future of students.
He said the protests began following the NEET question paper leak, when students from middle- and lower-income families felt that the government was playing with their future.
“It was not a youth movement only; they had the support of their parents,” he said.
Yadav asserted that the SP had consistently supported young people and their concerns, adding that members of his party had also participated in the protests.
“The SP has always been with the youth and for the youth. Gen Z wants clarity, not fake promises,” he said.
His remarks came amid wider criticism of the BJP government over examination paper leaks, unemployment and the future of young people in Uttar Pradesh. At the summit, Yadav also questioned the government's handling of law and order and alleged that students protesting over recruitment and examination-related issues were not being heard.
The SP chief's comments on the Congress's 181-seat demand, meanwhile, have brought the question of alliance arithmetic into sharper focus as both parties prepare for the crucial 2027 Assembly contest.