Under Haryana shock, Congress snubbed by ally Samajwadi Party before UP by-polls

The Congress wanted to contest five seats, but the Samajwadi Party hesitated, citing its performance in the general elections held from April to June and the recent Haryana polls.

In Short

• Samajwadi Party announces candidates for upcoming UP bypolls
• Criticises Congress over Haryana Assembly election failure
• Congress expresses disappointment over INDIA ally's announcement

The aftershocks of the Congress's disappointing performance in the Haryana elections continued to reverberate even in Uttar Pradesh, with Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party -- a key member of the INDIA bloc -- denying the grand old party's seat-sharing request for by-polls to 10 Assembly seats later this year.

Congress sought five of the ten seats in the upcoming contest, but the Samajwadi Party declined, referencing the party's performances in the April-June general elections and the recent Haryana polls.

The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced candidates for six of the 10 Uttar Pradesh assembly seats where bypolls are due later this year. The official date for the polls is yet to be announced by the Election Commission.

The SP has fielded Tej Pratap Yadav from Karhal, while it has given a ticket to Naseem Solanki from the Sisamu seat, Mustafa Siddiqui from Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Ajit Prasad from Milkipur (Ayodhya), according to the party's list issued on X. Shobhawai Verma and Jyodi Bind have been given party tickets from Katehari and Majhwan seats, respectively, it stated.

Reacting to the issue, SP leader Ravidas Mehrotra took a potshot at Congress over the Haryana debacle and said that they did not give a single seat to the Samajwadi Party but gave the entire state to the BJP.

"If Congress had an alliance with Samajwadi and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), then today the INDIA alliance would have been in power in Haryana. Congress did not give a single seat to the Samajwadi Party but gave the entire state to the BJP. We want to defeat BJP in the by-elections in UP, so we have announced the list of 6 candidates," Mehrotra said while speaking to news agency ANI.

Mehrotra also said that his party is hopeful to form an alliance with Congress on the remaining 4 seats.

Meanwhile, UP Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey expressed disappointment over the Samajwadi Party announcing candidates without discussion with the coordination committee of the INDIA alliance.

"It is true, no information was given to us about it. There has been no discussion with the coordination committee of the INDIA alliance yet. As far as the announcement of seats and contesting elections is concerned, whatever decision the Coordination Committee of INDIA alliance takes, it will be accepted by the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee," Pandey told ANI.

"We are not overconfident in Uttar Pradesh but are fully confident and due to this, along with strengthening and empowering the organisation, the work of election preparation has also started. Possibilities (of alliance) always remain till the end, it cannot be denied," he added.

The BJP secured a remarkable third consecutive victory in Haryana on Tuesday, defying anti-incumbency and crushing Congress' hopes of a resurgence in the state.

The BJP achieved its best-ever performance, winning 48 seats —11 more than the Congress. Meanwhile, parties like the JJP and AAP were decimated and the INLD managed to win just two seats.