As the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance prepares for the 2027 Assembly elections, two opposition leaders in Uttar Pradesh have publicly defended their respective party bosses. The comments were made on a day when Nitin Nabin, the head of the BJP, visited western Uttar Pradesh to bolster the party's election strategy.
Both Congress MP Imran Masood and Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan, who were elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as members of the SP-Congress alliance, supported several leaders as essential to defeating the BJP. They made these remarks despite the fact that both parties' top leaders have frequently discussed preserving unity.
"Only Rahul Gandhi is the opposition voice across the country, which unnerves the BJP," Masood told PTI. Rahul ji has put in a lot of effort and established a positive environment. Therefore, without Rahul ji, nothing is possible, and nobody should question this."
The Congress MP, who previously belonged to the SP, has also advocated for an early seat-sharing decision and referred to the Congress as the alliance's "big brother" on several occasions. However, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav will determine the alliance's parameters, according to SP leaders.
Hasan presented SP chairman Akhilesh Yadav as the alliance's central figure on Tuesday. "Only Akhilesh Yadav can defeat the BJP," she declared. The Congress won't accomplish much on its own.
Despite senior leaders' frequent declarations of unity, the conflicting claims have revealed a communication gap between alliance workers and local leaders.
Together, the SP and Congress won 43 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha elections of 2024, with the SP winning 37 and the Congress six. The Faizabad seat, which includes Ayodhya and was won by the BJP in 2019, was also won by the alliance.
Asaduddin Owaisi, the leader of AIMIM, stated that his party was amenable to forming a coalition with groups aiming to prevent the BJP from regaining control of Uttar Pradesh.
He stated, "We also do not want the BJP government to be formed in UP for the third time," during a public gathering in Kanpur on Sunday. Come and work with AIMIM if you want to prevent the BJP from taking power once more."
He added another layer to the state's opposition alliance negotiations by stating that AIMIM would not reveal its affiliation, if any, until October 2.
