BJP mocks at Congress after SP decides to contest all nine UP seats

The BJP has hailed the Samajwadi Party’s decision to contest all the nine Assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh next month, saying this will help make the BJP's 'Congress-mukt Bharat' slogan a reality.

BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi also criticized Samajwadi Party leader and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's decision as “revenge” for the Congress' refusal to grant it seats in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.

"The SP is making the BJP's 'Congress-mukt Bharat' slogan a reality," he said in Lucknow.

Akhilesh’s announcement

Akhilesh Yadav announced on Thursday that his party would field candidates for all nine seats but made it clear that they would be fighting on behalf of the INDIA alliance.

The Congress earlier did not give any seat to the Samajwadi Party in Haryana, where it ultimately lost the Assembly elections to the BJP. The Congress did the same to the SP in Madhya Pradesh last year.

Akhilesh Yadav said it was important to reduce the Bharatiya Janata Party's sizeable lead in the Uttar Pradesh House. In 2022, the BJP won 255 Assembly seats and the Samajwadi Party 111.

Congress perspective

"With this unprecedented cooperation, every worker of the INDIA bloc is filled with new energy and the resolve to win all nine Assembly seats," Akhilesh Yadav said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Surendra Rajput said the need was to defeat the BJP. “For us the symbol is not important... for us the end of the BJP's misgovernance is important.”

A by-election for a 10th Assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh -- Milkipur in Ayodhya district -- will take place later.