Amid seat-sharing talks with Congress, SP names 16 LS candidates
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) faced another setback on Tuesday as the Samajwadi Party (SP) released a list of 16 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The announcement came amid ongoing seat-sharing negotiations with the Congress. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also made it clear that the SP will do what it deems best. No clearance from the Congress is needed, he said.
Why does this story matter?
The opposition INDIA bloc, launched to present a united front against the Bhartiya Janata Party in the 2024 general elections, is facing a crisis. Recently, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar exited the alliance and joined hands with the BJP. Earlier, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced that they would contest the Lok Sabha elections alone in their respective states.
Dimple Yadav to contest from Mainpuri
The list of candidates released on Tuesday includes the name of the SP chief's wife, Dimple Yadav, who will be contesting from the Yadav family's bastion, Mainpuri. Former UP cabinet minister Ravidas Mehrotra will be contesting from Lucknow. According to NDTV, the SP has offered only 11 seats to the Congress out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
Samajwadi Party's list of candidates
SP chief's 'good start' statement on alliance talks
Last week, Yadav said that his party's alliance with the Congress was "off to a good start" in 11 "strong" Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. "Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward... 'INDIA' team and 'PDA' strategy will change history," Yadav said in an X post.
2019 Lok Sabha results in UP
In 2019, the Congress managed to win only one Lok Sabha seat—Rae Bareli—in Uttar Pradesh. Party leader Rahul Gandhi lost the Congress bastion Amethi to Union minister Smriti Irani in the last general elections. Notably, in 2019, in alliance with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the SP opted not to contest from Amethi and Rae Bareli as a gesture of courtesy.
