UP by-polls: The Congress has decided not to field candidates in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh bypolls and has announced its support for Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP), said Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey on Thursday (October 24). The SP has already declared its candidates from Karhal, Sisamau, Phulpur, Milkipur, Katehari, Majahawan and Meerapur.
The nine assembly seats going to polls are Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki. The bypolls will be held on November 13 and results will be announced on November 23.
INDIA bloc to contest all 9 seats on Samajwadi Party's symbol
Earlier on Wednesday (October 23), Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav announced that all I.N.D.I.A. bloc candidates would contest all nine seats in the upcoming by-polls on his party's election symbol 'cycle'.
In a post on X, he stated that the Congress and Samajwadi Party are united and standing shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. He also said that India Alliance is going to write a new chapter of victory in this by-election."It is not about seats but about winning. Under this strategy, the joint candidates of 'India Alliance' will contest on all the 9 seats on the Samajwadi Party's election symbol 'cycle'," he said in a post on X.
He went on to add that the Samajwadi Party's strength has increased manifold with the support of Congress party's top leadership and booth level workers. "With this unprecedented cooperation and support, every worker of 'India Alliance' in all the 9 assembly seats has been filled with new energy with the resolve to win. This is an election to save the country's constitution, harmony and the honour of the PDA. That is why our appeal to everyone is: not even a single vote should be reduced, not even a single vote should be divided," he added.
Congress-SP agreement
The Congress had originally demanded five of 10 assembly seats (including Milkipur). The SP, however, last week said the Congress had agreed to contest on two seats, Ghaziabad and Khair (Aligarh), leaving the rest to the SP. Samajwadi Party has already given Ghaziabad and Khair seats to Congress, apart from this it can now give Phulpur a seat also. Congress had claimed total 5 seats in the elections. But Samajwadi Party fielded total 7 candidates from its side.
What happened in 2022
In the 2022 assembly polls, Sisamau, Katehari, Karhal, Milkipur and Kundarki were held by the Samajwadi Party, while the BJP had won Phulpur, Ghaziabad, and Khair. The Meerapur seat was held by the RLD, while the Majhawan seat was won by the NISHAD party. Eight of these seats fell vacant after their MLAs were elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha, while a bypoll is being held on the Sisamau seat due to the disqualification of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, who was convicted in a criminal case.
