Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s decision to stay away from the INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi on Wednesday has drawn attention, particularly as the Opposition alliance prepares a joint strategy on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its demand for action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The meeting is also taking place amid unresolved seat-sharing discussions between the Samajwadi Party and Congress ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The INDIA bloc meeting is focused on coordinating the Opposition’s response to the SIR exercise and discussing further action against the Election Commission. Several Opposition parties are participating, but the Samajwadi Party has chosen to send representatives instead of its chief.
Why Is Akhilesh Yadav Not Attending?
The Samajwadi Party has said that Akhilesh Yadav is occupied with the Rajya Sabha nomination process in Uttar Pradesh. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal also said that he had spoken to Yadav and that the nomination schedule was the reason for his absence.
The SP is being represented at the meeting by MPs Harendra Malik and Mohibullah Nadvi. The decision to send these representatives, rather than one of the party's most senior leaders, has nevertheless attracted attention.
Reports have also focused on the timing of Yadav's engagements. Some political observers have linked his absence to the ongoing disagreement between the SP and Congress over seat-sharing in Uttar Pradesh.
Congress-SP Seat-Sharing Dispute
The issue of seat-sharing has become an important part of the discussion between the two parties. Congress Uttar Pradesh in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam has said that Congress is preparing candidates for all 403 Assembly constituencies and wants to contest at least 150 seats. The party has indicated that seat-sharing discussions could be finalised in October.
The Samajwadi Party, meanwhile, has been reported to be seeking a substantially different arrangement. Reports have suggested that the SP is reluctant to give Congress as many seats as it is seeking.
The disagreement also involves constituencies such as Amethi and Rae Bareli, which have long been associated with the Congress. The two parties have not yet announced a final seat-sharing formula for the 2027 election.
Remarks By Congress Leaders Add To Tensions
Public comments by some Congress leaders have added another layer to the discussion.
Congress MP Imran Masood recently commented on Akhilesh Yadav's absence, saying that the SP chief would need to show a "bigger heart" while leading the alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, Rajendra Pal Gautam has publicly spoken about Congress preparing for a large number of constituencies in the state.
These remarks have been viewed by political observers as part of the wider disagreement over the terms of a possible SP-Congress alliance. However, neither party has announced that the alliance has ended, and the exact seat-sharing arrangement remains under discussion.
Is Akhilesh Sending A Message To Congress?
Akhilesh Yadav's absence has led to speculation about whether he is signalling his dissatisfaction with Congress.
There is a clear political context to the speculation: the INDIA bloc meeting is taking place at the same time that the SP and Congress are preparing for difficult seat-sharing negotiations in Uttar Pradesh. Reports have described differences over the number of seats each party should contest and the timing of the negotiations.
At the same time, Congress has publicly played down the issue. KC Venugopal has said that Yadav remains engaged with the Opposition discussions and that the Rajya Sabha nomination schedule prevented him from attending personally.
Therefore, Yadav's absence by itself does not establish that the SP has decided to distance itself from Congress. The available information points to both a stated scheduling reason and ongoing political differences over the Uttar Pradesh alliance.
INDIA Bloc Also Sees Other Absences
The Samajwadi Party is not the only major Opposition party missing from the meeting. The Aam Aadmi Party and DMK have also stayed away. The DMK has separately cited differences with Congress as a reason for its decision not to participate.
The developments come as Opposition parties attempt to coordinate their campaign over the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission.
For the SP and Congress, however, the bigger issue could be their negotiations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Until the two parties settle the seat-sharing formula, public disagreements are likely to remain an important part of the political conversation.
For now, Akhilesh Yadav has not publicly said that he is withdrawing from the INDIA bloc. His absence from the Delhi meeting has instead intensified questions about how the SP-Congress relationship will develop as negotiations over the Uttar Pradesh election gather pace.
