Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has revealed that the Congress party is seeking to contest 181 seats in the upcoming 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Yadav made these remarks during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2026, shedding light on the ongoing seat-sharing negotiations within the opposition INDIA bloc.
When pressed about the Congress's demands, Yadav initially stated the number was "slightly less than 200." He later clarified, suggesting the figure was "add one to 180," pointing directly to 181 constituencies out of the state's total of 403 Assembly seats.
Alliance Dynamics and Past Performance
The Samajwadi Party and Congress previously allied for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, securing a combined 43 of Uttar Pradesh's 80 parliamentary seats. In that contest, the SP emerged as the dominant partner in the state, winning 37 seats, while the Congress secured six. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 33 seats, a notable decrease from its previous performance.
Despite the apparent discrepancy in seat expectations for the 2027 UP Assembly elections, Yadav affirmed that relations between the two parties remain positive, indicating that discussions toward a potential alliance are continuing. The success of the INDIA bloc in the 2024 parliamentary elections has fueled expectations of continued cooperation, though the distribution of constituencies for the state Assembly polls poses a significant challenge.
The Road to 2027: BJP and Opposition Strategies
The remarks from Akhilesh Yadav bring the alliance negotiations into sharp focus as opposition parties prepare to challenge the BJP in India's most populous state. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the BJP secured a comfortable victory with 255 seats, while the Samajwadi Party won 111. The Congress, in contrast, managed to win only two constituencies, underscoring the considerable difference between its state-level and Lok Sabha election performances.
For Yadav and the SP, maintaining coordination with the Congress is seen as crucial for building a formidable united opposition front. The Samajwadi Party has also been actively promoting its 'PDA' strategy, which prioritizes Pichhda, Dalits, and Alpsankhyak (backward classes, Dalits, and minorities) communities in its outreach efforts. Meanwhile, the BJP is also gearing up to defend its stronghold in Uttar Pradesh, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expected to play a pivotal role in its 2027 campaign.