Akhilesh Yadav hints Congress wants 181 seats in UP, confirms Ram Mandir visit

Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav said that the Congress is seeking 181 seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh State Assembly election in 2027. He added that the SP and the INDIA alliance will be fighting the election united against the Bharatiya Janata Party. He claimed that the ruling Yogi government has failed the people of Uttar Pradesh, and the BJP has felt it in the 2024 General Assembly elections and will again face it in 2027.

Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Saturday, Yadav did not exactly quote the figure. Though he confirmed it while responding to several questions from the host, the Congress had asked for more than 100 seats, a little less than 200, and, when 180 was suggested, "Add one more." The 181 figure is the Congress's demand, as suggested by Akhilesh Yadav, not an agreed allocation.

"We have made up our mind on how many seats we will contest. The Samajwadi Party and the INDIA alliance will defeat the BJP together," he said. When asked if they will ally with the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), Yadav said SP is already in the INDIA bloc with Congress and doesn't seek any changes.

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Akhilesh Yadav to visit Ram Mandir

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav is set to visit the Ram Mandir. It will be his first visit since the temple's consecration in January 2024. He will first visit Kedareshwar Dham in Etawah and then head towards Ayodhya.

"The people of Ayodhya and the sensible voters of Uttar Pradesh ended the BJP's communal politics at the very place from where it had started. They have given a message that change is coming," he said

Reacting to his visit, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that this is what PDA is: “Palat Diya Akhilesh”. SP has used the PDA (Pichhde, Dalit and Alpsankhak) slogan to rally its supporters; now a visit to Ram Mandir is being perceived as an attempt to woo the upper-caste Hindu voters.