Lucknow, Nov 14 (IANS) Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav announced on Saturday that the Congress has put forward a demand for 181 out of the 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming elections due early next year.

As seat-sharing discussions commence ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) Parliamentarian Shivpal Singh Patel has refused to subscribe to the Congress party's reported demand for 181 seats, terming it "unreasonable".

Stating that the final seat allocation will be decided solely by SP President Akhilesh Yadav, Patel told IANS that "it is not final, they (Congress) just have handed over the list, they will be given fewer than 100 seats".

He said he hoped that "they (Congress) would agree on 50-60 seats or maximum 65 seats".

Highlighting the stark disparity in their current legislative presence—noting that the Congress holds only two MLAs compared to the SP's extensive backing— Patel added that a realistic capacity for the Congress lies between 50-60 or maximum 65 seats, adding that such figure like 181 seats would risk wasting resources.

The SP Parlimentarian remarked that while the Congress may demand 181 seats, it would likely secure fewer than 100, saying that the party is currently not even worthy of 50 seats given its low tally of just two MLAs.

Patel cautioned that conceding too many seats would demoralise SP's grassroots workers who have tirelessly built public trust across the state through 'PDA' (Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhayak) Panchayats and rigorous fieldwork.

He asserted that public support in the state firmly aligns with Akhilesh Yadav's governance and welfare initiatives.

While acknowledging that alliances require mutual cooperation, Patel cautioned that exceeding reasonable limits would jeopardise electoral outcomes.

Despite the stark difference in Assembly seat expectations, Akhilesh Yadav has firmly asserted that the two opposition allies (Congress and SP) will contest the polls together, with the overarching goal of defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Senior leaders from both parties are scheduled to meet on November 17 to commence formal negotiations on a final seat-sharing formula.

As the principal Opposition party and the larger partner in the state alliance, the SP is expected to bargain hard during the upcoming discussions.

On being asked even if Congress does not agree on less than 181 seats, Patel said, "Akhilesh Yadav is the SP Chief, his decision will be final... he is party chief after all."

The seat-sharing negotiations will heavily weigh past electoral performances.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress-SP alliance tasted significant success by winning 43 out of Uttar Pradesh's 80 Parliamentary seats, with the SP bagging 37 and the Congress winning six.

However, Uttar Pradesh Assembly dynamics present a different picture.

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress contested 399 seats independently but managed to win only two, down from seven in 2017. In contrast, the SP demonstrated robust growth, winning 111 of the 347 seats it contested in 2022—a massive improvement over its 47 seats in 2017.

--IANS

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