Ashok Gehlot Leading Seat Talks In UP With Akhilesh Yadav: Congress

The Congress on Saturday said constructive seat-sharing talks are on between senior party leader Ashok Gehlot and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and it will inform when a formula is finalised.

The Congress' assertion came soon after Yadav said his party's alliance with the Congress is "off to a good start" with 11 "strong" Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.

The state sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament and elections are due in April-May.

Asked about Mr Yadav's remarks at a press conference, Jairam Ramesh said Ashok Gehlot is in direct contact with the SP chief and talks are going on in a positive and constructive manner.

"When a seat-sharing formula is finalised we will inform you. But today Akhilesh ji has spoken on this that talks are on and he is happy with the talks. I would say from my party's side, talks are on between Ashok Gehlot and Akhilesh Yadav ji and they will meet soon," Mr Ramesh said.

The seat-sharing pact that will happen will be beneficial for the Congress, the SP, and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), he asserted.

Asked if the seat sharing was not final, Mr Ramesh said, "It is final only when it is final."

Mr Ramesh's remarks came minutes after Mr Yadav, in a post in Hindi, on X said, "Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward with the winning equation. 'INDIA' team and 'PDA' strategy will change history."

Elaborating further on the developments, SP chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary told PTI, "We (Samajwadi Party) have offered 11 seats to them (the Congress), so that there is a respectable mutual coordination among us, and we defeat the BJP." Chaudhary also said the party's top leadership is in continuous touch with the Congress.

He said the number of seats offered, which stands at 11 now, is not likely to go up in the future.

"We have given 11 seats to the Congress (in UP) and seven seats to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). This comes to 18 seats. The SP will contest 62 seats in the Lok Sabha election," the chief spokesperson of SP said.

In the current Lok Sabha, the Samajwadi Party has three MPs and the Bahujan Samaj Party has 10 MPs. Sonia Gandhi is the lone Congress MP from the state representing the Rae Bareli constituency. The Apna Dal (Sonelal) has two MPs. The BJP has 64 MPs from the state.

Earlier, on January 19, the SP and the RLD announced their alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, with the latter saying that the other party will leave seven seats in western Uttar Pradesh for its nominees.

Saturday's development comes amid strong indications that Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar may do yet another volte-face and return to the BJP-led NDA.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)