Shahzad Akhtar
After the announcement of assembly elections in Maharashtra, the relationship between Samajwadi Party and Congress has started to sour because Samajwadi Party wants to contest on 12 seats in Maharashtra in alliance with Congress but Congress is not ready to give Samajwadi Party a single seat in Maharashtra. This is the reason why Samajwadi Party has started to show its eyes to Congress in the 9 by-elections to be held in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party has also announced its candidates on 7 seats and will give only two seats to Congress, due to current political situation Congres leaders in UP is not feeling well state.
In the current Lok Sabha elections, Congress and Samajwadi Party together gave a tremendous political blow to Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh and it was believed that this political alliance between the these two parties is strong enough to oust Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Bharatiya Janata Party government from power in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming assembly elections.
Earlier in the assembly elections in Jammu Kashmir and Haryana , Samajwadi Party had also demanded some seats from Congress but the Congress high command had refused to give even a single seat to Samajwadi Party in these states. Now in the Maharashtra assembly elections too, the Samajwadi Party believes that it has a strong support base on 12 assembly seats and is capable of fighting strongly on these seats. The Congress party is not ready to accept political cooperation outside Uttar Pradesh, the effect of this is being seen in the by-elections of 9 assemblies of Uttar Pradesh.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party has announced its candidates on 7 out of the 9 seats to be contested by-elections, while the Congress wanted its candidates to contest on four or five seats. The Congress high command is very angry with this and at present the Congress is planning not to participate in the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Yogi government of the state seem to be very happy with this because the current political situation of the two major parties is sending a political message in favor of the Yogi government.
Only time will tell which way the political situation of Uttar Pradesh turns in the upcoming by-elections to the 9 Vidhan Sabhas of Uttar Pradesh, but for now, with the news of rift between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to be stronger in Uttar Pradesh.