First signs of strain emerge between SP and Congress over seat-sharing

New Delhi: The first signs of a strain between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress emerged on Friday over seat-sharing in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections which they had intended to fight in an alliance.

A list of 191 candidates released by the SP irked the Congress because it contained the names of nominees for nine seats which the latter occupies. The Congress said its senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad would hold talks with Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister and SP’s national president Akhilesh Yadav on the issue.

“It is unfortunate that this happened when all the terms and conditions of the alliance had been discussed. All we want is that the terms of the alliance agreed upon should be honoured,” Congress politician Ajay Maken said at a press conference in New Delhi.

“Ghulam Nabi Azad, along with other party leaders in the state will hold talks with SP’s national president Akhilesh Yadav, with whom the alliance was finalized in the first place.”

The nine seats that have sparked trouble are Mathura, Shamli, Bilaspur, Hapur, Khurja, Kidwai Nagar, Gangoh, Suar and Syana.

Potential friction between the two partners comes a day after chances of a “grand alliance” being formed in the state to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dimmed with the SP ruling out an alliance with Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

The fact that SP released the names of 191 candidates for the first three phases of the assembly elections to be held on 11, 15 and 19 February, although a final figure of seats to be shared with Congress is yet to be decided upon, also raises questions about the stability of the alliance.

SP vice-president Kiranmay Nanda had said on Thursday that the party would contest over 300 seats in the 403-member assembly, leaving the rest to the Congress.

Analysts said owing to the fact that an alliance is mutually beneficial to the SP and Congress, a compromise could be arrived at on seat-sharing.

“SP did not have an alliance with the RLD because that would mean losing out on the Muslim vote as RLD’s loyal voter base, Jats, have had troubled relations with the Muslim community after the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 in western Uttar Pradesh. In this scenario, SP might reach a compromise with the Congress as this alliance will help it consolidate the minority vote,” said S.K. Dwivedi, a Lucknow-based political analyst.

On the other hand, a split in the alliance, said Dwivedi, would give the BJP an upper hand in the tight three-cornered contest between SP, BJP and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party.