The uncertainty surrounding seat-sharing between Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), key partners in the I.N.D.I.A. alliance in Uttar Pradesh, has come to the forefront as the SP claimed that Congress had agreed to a seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming November bypolls. However, this assertion has been refuted by State Congress President Ajay Rai, who stated that no formal agreement had been reached.

SP spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury announced that the seat-sharing deal had been finalized, with Congress contesting two seats—Khair (Aligarh) and Ghaziabad—while the SP would field candidates for the remaining eight. The SP has already revealed candidates for seven seats, including Sumbul Rana for Meerapur in Muzaffarnagar. However, Ajay Rai of the Congress countered the claim, saying, “We are still in talks and have not been informed of any confirmed seat-sharing arrangement.”

According to SP leaders, Congress will contest two seats, while the SP will field candidates in the remaining eight. The Election Commission has released the bypoll schedule for nine seats, with Milkipur left out due to an ongoing legal dispute. Voting for the nine seats will take place on November 13.

Congress is expected to contest the Ghaziabad and Khair seats, both traditional strongholds of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Initially, Congress had demanded five seats from the SP, including Ghaziabad, Khair, Meerapur, Majhawan, and Phulpur. However, following discussions between Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi during Omar Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony, it was decided that Congress would focus on Ghaziabad and Khair.

Political analyst Rajendra Kumar explained that after elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, Congress found its bargaining power diminished, making it unlikely to secure all five seats. Strategically, Akhilesh Yadav allocated the Khair and Ghaziabad seats—long-time BJP strongholds—to Congress, ensuring the SP retained control over its key electoral base. "By offering these two seats to Congress, the SP maintains its own electoral advantage while keeping the I.N.D.I.A. alliance intact in Uttar Pradesh," said Kumar.

In line with the seat-sharing arrangement, the SP has moved forward with its campaign, announcing Sumbul Rana as the candidate for Meerapur. Sumbul, daughter of BSP coordinator Munqad Ali and daughter-in-law of former SP MP Qadir Rana, marks her entry into electoral politics.

While Congress awaits formal confirmation of the agreement, All India Congress Committee general secretary (in charge of U.P.) Avinash Pandey expressed hope for coordination, stating, “We will contest the election in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, and both parties may soon reach a seat-sharing understanding. We hope the SP will offer us a respectable number of seats.”

The SP has also announced other key candidates, including Tej Pratap Yadav, cousin of Akhilesh Yadav, for the Karhal assembly seat, and Naseem Siddiqui, wife of disqualified SP MLA Irfan Solanki, for the Sisamau seat. Ajeet Prasad, son of Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad, will contest the Milkipur seat in Ayodhya, while Shobhawati Verma, wife of Ambedkarnagar MP Lalji Verma, will stand for the Katehari seat. Mustafa Siddiqui has been named for Phulpur (Prayagraj), and Jyoti Bind will contest Majhawan (Mirzapur).