Lucknow:
The Congress’s newly appointed Uttar Pradesh in-charge, Rajendra Pal Gautam, has sought an equal seat-sharing arrangement with the Samajwadi Party. In an exclusive conversation with NDTV after assuming his new responsibility, Gautam also praised BSP chief Mayawati.
Formal talks regarding seat-sharing for the UP assembly elections have not yet begun between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party. When asked how many seats the Congress is seeking, Gautam said, “I would personally like there to be an equal share. The top leadership will decide once discussions take place. I am not authorised to make an announcement beforehand, but we will certainly advocate for an equal share.”
There are 403 assembly seats in UP. Ten years ago, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress formed an alliance for the elections. At that time, the Samajwadi Party contested 298 seats and the Congress 105.
However, there were instances of “friendly fights” between the two parties on some seats. Ultimately, the alliance fell apart following the BJP’s massive victory in the elections. After nearly seven years, the two parties reunited for the recent Lok Sabha elections and achieved success. Out of UP’s 80 seats, the Samajwadi Party contested 62 and won 37, while the Congress won 6 out of the 17 seats it contested.
According to sources, the Congress might stake a claim to around 150 seats in the alliance for the upcoming UP assembly elections. However, initial indications suggest that the Samajwadi Party would be unwilling to offer the Congress more than 70-80 seats. Clearly, seat-sharing will not be an easy task. In this context, the new Congress in-charge has attempted to exert pressure on the Samajwadi Party by calling for an “equal share.”
Congress leaders believe that even when the Samajwadi Party was in power in 2017, the Congress was allotted 105 seats in the alliance, so they should get an even higher number this time.
The Congress feels that since Akhilesh Yadav aspires to become chief minister, the Samajwadi Party would not want to antagonise the Congress. According to Congress sources, if the party is given a significant role in the alliance, it will be able to easily facilitate the transfer of Dalit and Brahmin votes to the Samajwadi Party.
UP Congress state president Ajay Rai is from an upper-caste background. A major reason for the INDIA bloc’s significant victory in the Lok Sabha elections was the successful transfer of votes between the constituent parties. A similar outcome in the assembly elections would need the Congress to secure a strong position within the alliance.
This would send a message to non-Yadav castes that the Congress would exert influence over Akhilesh Yadav. Gautam told NDTV that he urged BSP chief and former chief minister Mayawati to join forces.
Appealing for unity, Gautam said those wishing to work on issues concerning the Bahujan community, and those wanting to strengthen the Constitution and democracy, should unite against this oppressive “Manuvadi” government. He said everyone is welcome.
“Behanji is a prominent leader of our community, and we respect her. She has been a strong leader. One wonders what constraints she might be facing,” he said.
Last month, Gautam, accompanied by other Congress leaders, made an unscheduled visit to Mayawati’s home in Lucknow but could not meet her. “I have a relationship with her family, so I went to inquire about her well-being. If she invites me, I will certainly go to meet her.”
Gautam belongs to the same caste as Mayawati.
In another development, the political profile of MP Chandrashekhar Azad, who is from the same community, is on the rise in UP politics. By positioning Gautam at the forefront, the Congress aims not only to make inroads into Mayawati’s vote bank but also to curb Azad’s influence. This explains why Gautam speaks positively about Mayawati and why portraits of Kanshiram are now visible at Congress events.
Be it the talk of welcoming Mayawati or the demand for an equal share of seats, the statements made by the new Congress in-charge are likely to cause discomfort for the Samajwadi Party.
However, it is widely believed that the top leadership of both parties – Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav – will eventually find a middle ground. In the previous assembly elections, the Congress managed to secure only two seats, whereas the Samajwadi Party won 111.
A lawyer by profession and belonging to the Dalit community, Gautam was initially active in the BSP. From 2015 to 2025, he served as an MLA for the Aam Aadmi Party and held a ministerial position in the Arvind Kejriwal government for nearly seven years. He was compelled to resign as a minister in 2022 following a controversy sparked by his recitation of the vows originally taken by BR Ambedkar upon embracing Buddhism during a public event.
Subsequently, Gautam joined the Congress in 2024, quickly earning Rahul Gandhi’s trust. Last year, he was appointed head of the Congress’s Scheduled Castes department. Given his strong image and outspoken voice within the Dalit community, Rahul Gandhi has entrusted him with a crucial responsibility in UP, a state he himself represents as an MP.
During the last assembly elections, Priyanka Gandhi was in charge of the UP Congress and had allocated 40 per cent of tickets to women. That gamble failed. The new in-charge has little time and the Congress lacks a robust organisational structure in UP.
