U.P. bypolls: Hiccup or break-up on cards? SP, Cong leaders scotch speculation

The bypolls for 10 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh are yet to be announced, but the seat-sharing issue seems to be the bone of contention between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in the state.

Amid media reports of the INDIA bloc on the verge of a break-up for the U.P. bypolls, leaders from both the parties have re-confirmed that both the SP and the Congress will contest these by-elections together under the INDIA bloc banner.

Nevertheless, seat-sharing between the two parties is not yet final and will be decided soon by the top leadership.

Out of the 10 assembly seats, for which bypolls will be held, nine fell vacant after the election of the sitting MLAs as MPs in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. One seat, Sisamau in Kanpur, fell vacant after the conviction of the SP’s Haji Irfan Solanki in a criminal case.

Five of these 10 assembly seats were held by the SP, three by the BJP and one each by the NISHAD party and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

Also, the NISHAD party had contested the 2022 assembly polls in alliance with the BJP while RLD had contested in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.

Speaking on the SP-Congress alliance for the bypolls, SP media panellist and former MLC Udaiveer Singh said, “When the by-elections are not even announced in U.P. yet, then how can we comment on the future of the INDIA alliance in the bypolls? We are together in Delhi; we didn’t get a single seat in Haryana, still we are with the alliance. Then, why should we think anything negative about the alliance? A little hiccup is natural in any relationship, we have always committed ourselves in whichever alliance we have done. We have always adjusted and I think others should also do the same. One should contest wherever they have a strong claim.”

“The Congress contested on many seats in Lok Sabha elections also where they had a very low vote share, but our workers made them contest with all their might. The data of the 2022 UP assembly election is very important, but sending a new candidate without any strong base at a place where a strong candidate is preparing to contest polls, will not be a good idea for sure. All these issues will be discussed with the party leadership,” Udaiveer Singh added.

About his party’s strategy for bypolls, Singh said that the main fight was to save the names of our voters from being struck off the voters list.

“We have given different responsibilities to different people, in-charges have also been appointed, verification is also going on at the organisational level. The main fight is to save the names of our voters at their booths, as the BJP is misusing the government machinery. Many of our voters have complained that their names have been struck off the voters’ list and they have been declared dead. Also, BLOs of a certain community are being transferred as the BJP is trying to change the mandate with the help of the government machinery.”

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a recent press conference, had said the INDIA alliance will contest the bypolls. Party insiders have also shared that SP top leadership is of the view that alliance with the Congress should not be broken for the UP assembly bypolls. The SP chief had also stated a few days back that it was not running after the number of seats it gets and it was winnability that matters the most. However, the Congress gave zero seats to the SP in the Haryana assembly polls.

Congress spokesperson Surendra Singh Rajput said, “The news about breaking up of the SP-Congress alliance is totally wrong. Two things are clear and definite: first that the INDIA alliance will contest and win on all the 10 assembly seats in bypolls and second that the high command of SP and Congress will decide which symbol will be given to which candidate on these 10 seats. There is a very clear understanding between Rahulji, Khargeji and Akhileshji and they will decide the seat-sharing. Our alliance is strong and intact, we will contest and win all the 10 seats.”

10 ASSEMBLY SEATS

KATEHRI (AMBEDKARNAGAR)

Samajwadi Party candidate Lalji Verma had won this seat by polling 37.78% of the votes while Congress candidate Nishat Fatima had got a mere 0.83% votes. The runner-up on this seat was NISHAD party candidate Avadhesh Kumar, who contested in alliance with the BJP and secured 34.67% votes. The seat fell vacant after Lalji Verma was elected MP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Karhal (Mainpuri):This seat is a stronghold of the Yadav clan. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had won this seat in 2022, polling 60.12% votes. The Congress had not fielded any candidate out of ‘courtesy’. The runner-up was the BJP’s Prof SP Singh Baghel who had bagged 32.74% votes. The seat had fallen vacant after Akhilesh Yadav was elected MP from Kannuaj in the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls.

MILKIPUR (AYODHYA)

This is one of the most talked about seats from where Samajwadi Party candidate Awadhesh Prasad had won with 47.99% votes in 2022, followed by BJP’s Baba Gorakhnath with 41.83% votes. Congress candidate Brijesh Kumar had got 1.46% votes. The seat fell vacant after Awadhesh Prasad won the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in June 2024.

MEERAPUR (MUZAFFARNAGAR)

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidate Chandan Chauhan contested in alliance with the SP and had won with 49.57% votes. Jamil Ahmad of the Congress had bagged 0.58% votes while the runner- up was BJP candidate Prashant Chaudhary with 36.94% votes. The seat fell vacant after Chandan Chauhan was elected MP from Bijnor in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

GHAZIABAD

The BJP’s Atul Garg won the assembly seat, bagging 61.37% votes in 2022 while Samajwadi Party candidate Vishal Verma was the runner-up with 18.25% votes. Congress candidate Sushant Goyal polled 4.83% votes. The assembly seat fell vacant after Atul Garg was elected MP from Ghaziabad in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

MAJHAWAN (MIRZAPUR)

NISHAD party’s Dr Vinod Kumar Bind had won the assembly seat as a BJP ally, polling 42.07% votes. SP candidate Rohit Shukla was the runner-up with 28.38% votes. Congress nominee Shiv Shankar Chaubey polled a mere 1.39% votes. The seat fell vacant after Vinod Kumar Bind was elected MP from Bhadohi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

SISAMAU (KANPUR NAGAR)

Samajwadi Party candidate Haji Irfan Solanki won the Sisamau assembly seat in Kanpur Nagar in 2022, polling 50.68% votes. Congress candidate Haji Suhel Ahmad got 3.6% votes. The runner-up on this seat was BJP candidate Salil Vishnoi with 42.83% votes. The seat fell vacant after Solanki was disqualified post his conviction in a criminal case.

KHAIR (ALIGARH)

The BJP’s Anoop Singh aka Anoop Pradhan Valmiki won the assembly seat in 2022, polling 55.55% votes. Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate Bhagwati Prasad, who contested in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, secured 16.57% votes. Congress nominee Monika had bagged 0.6% votes. The seat fell vacant after Anoop Pradhan was elected as the Hathras MP in June 2024.

PHULPUR (PRAYAGRAJ)

The BJP’s Praveen Patel won the assembly seat, polling 42% votes while SP candidate Mohd Mujtaba Siddiqui secured 40.89% votes. Congress candidate Siddhanath Maurya had polled 0.66% votes. The assembly seat fell vacant after Praveen Patel was elected the Phulpur MP.

KUNDARKI (MORADABAD)

Samajwadi Party candidate Zia-ur- Rahman Barq won this assembly seat, bagging 46.28% votes followed by BJP’s Kamal Kumar who polled 30.4% votes. Congress candidate Daraksha Begum polled 0.63% votes. The seat fell vacant after Zia ur Rahman Barq was elected as the MP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.