GG News Bureau
Lucknow, 18th Nov. Campaigning for the bypolls to nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh concluded on Monday, notably without a single joint campaign by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress, both part of the INDIA bloc alliance.
While the absence of joint rallies raised questions, leaders from both parties maintained that their alliance remains intact. The Congress attributed the lack of joint campaigning to its leaders being occupied with poll duties in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where bypolls are also scheduled for November 20.
SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary dismissed speculations of a rift, stating, “All is well in the SP-Congress alliance. The coordination committees set up by the Congress helped streamline efforts on the ground. The absence of joint rallies was purely due to scheduling constraints.”
Congress UP chief Ajay Rai echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that party cadres backed SP candidates in all seats. “Our focus was on defeating the BJP, which remains our shared goal,” he said.
Despite these clarifications, BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) claimed cracks in the alliance. “The INDIA bloc was not visible on the ground. The Congress neither helped SP nor appeared interested in collaboration,” said RLD UP unit chief Ramashish Rai.
The Congress opted out of the bypoll race on October 24, setting up coordination committees the next day to support SP candidates. However, this decision has drawn criticism. Former Congress member Nadeem Ashraf Jaisi described the move as “confusing,” pointing out the party’s earlier efforts to hold public meetings in bypoll-bound constituencies.
The SP, led by Akhilesh Yadav, conducted a robust campaign alongside senior leaders Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Yadav. Meanwhile, the Congress has defended its strategy, highlighting its broader objective of countering the BJP.
The bypoll results, which could serve as a litmus test for the SP-Congress alliance, will be declared on November 23.
Comments are closed.