by Sanjay Saxena
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh, the Congress party appears to be in a dilemma about whether to contest the by-elections for 9 seats or not. On one hand, it hopes for victory riding on the support of the Samajwadi Party (SP), while on the other, it is embroiled in uncertainty. Amidst this confusion, Congress seems to be successfully pressuring the SP. Due to Congress’s pressure tactics, the SP has indicated that it may allocate the Phulpur assembly seat to Congress.
If this seat goes to Congress, it would increase its total seats to three. This situation has led leaders from both parties to suggest that the SP-Congress alliance will remain intact. However, despite the potential for three seats, uncertainty persists regarding Congress’s decision to contest. A final decision about the elections is expected to be made soon, as the last date for nominations is October 25.
It appears that while Congress is indeed firm in its negotiations with the SP regarding seat allocations for the by-elections, it is also fearful of the possibility of losing if it contests. In other words, Congress is both stubborn and fearful.
Amid discussions about the SP allocating the Phulpur seat to Congress, the Congress state president Ajay Rai and the party’s state in-charge have traveled to Delhi. In the upcoming by-elections for the 9 seats, Congress has claimed it wants to contest five seats, but the SP has nominated candidates for seven seats, including Phulpur, leaving Congress with only the Ghaziabad and Khair assembly seats, a decision that was made solely by the SP.
In response, Congress shifted its stance, expressing dissatisfaction and hinting at a rift in the alliance. The leadership even sent a letter expressing discontent over receiving just two seats, suggesting that they might not contest even those. However, Ajay Rai and Avinash Pandey did not confirm this and stated they were waiting for directives from the central leadership. They reiterated their commitment to maintaining the alliance to defeat the BJP.
Considering the ongoing tug-of-war over the by-elections, the SP has changed its position, stating it may indeed give the Phulpur seat to Congress. However, the SP has already announced Mustafa Siddiqui as its candidate for this seat, who narrowly lost in the 2022 elections by just 2,200 votes. Thus, there are concerns that withdrawing Mustafa’s candidacy could politically harm the SP. Consequently, within Congress, Phulpur is not seen as a favorable option.
On the other hand, there are also complications in the NDA regarding the seat distribution. Sanjay Nishad, president of the Nishad Party, has been stationed in Delhi for the past two days, seeking to secure candidates for the Majhwan and Katehari seats. He met BJP president J.P. Nadda recently to present his case. According to Nishad, he is scheduled to meet with BJP national general secretary Sunil Bansal and other top party leaders today. Following this, a candidate list from the BJP is expected to be released. Sanjay Nishad wants his party candidates to contest in Majhwan and Katehari, although he has suggested that if the BJP chooses to field candidates in these constituencies, the election symbol should still belong to the Nishad Party. However, the state BJP has not paid much attention to this suggestion.