Why Samajwadi Party is wary of giving Congress a big share of UP seats

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress are locked in a contentious struggle over seat-sharing for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The SP insists the Congress share names of "winnable candidates", while the Congress has instead shared a list of 180 Assembly seats. This has irked the SP, which is unhappy with Congress leaders' media statements about the number of seats they should receive.

SP insiders are particularly upset with Rajendra Pal Gautam, AICC in-charge, who has claimed the party should secure around 200 seats, roughly half of the 403 seats in the UP Assembly. Congress sources state that the party is focusing on the "quality of seats" rather than the quantity, and have divided the seats into four categories based on internal assessments.

The SP has taken a "wait-and-watch" stance, asking the Congress to share a list of "winnable candidates" and strong candidates. The Congress feels this demand is unreasonable, as no party does this elsewhere. The two parties also disagree on the dozen seats in the Congress list that have sitting SP MLAs, with the SP believing it is unlikely to win these seats. Despite the tensions, both parties are confident the alliance will continue.