The Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), partners in the INDIA bloc, found themselves at an impasse over seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is reluctant to vacate Moradabad, Ballia, and Bijnor seats to the Congress, sources revealed. The Congress, particularly eyeing the Ballia seat, a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party, for its state president, Ajay Rai, added complexity to the negotiations.

With the failure to break ground in seat-sharing discussions, Yadav will not join Rahul Gandhi”s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, as previously indicated, pending finalisation of seat allocations with the Congress. Akhilesh Yadav had expressed willingness to join the Nyay Yatra post seat allocation settlement.

Reports suggest that the Samajwadi Party extended a final offer of 17 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. However, ongoing discussions revolve around crucial seats like Moradabad and Ballia, as desired by the Congress.

Moradabad, a seat won by the Samajwadi Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and Ballia, a pivotal stronghold, emerge as focal points of contention. The Congress has presented a list of 28 seats to the Samajwadi Party, including 10 seats with significant Muslim populations.

Meanwhile, on Monday, the Samajwadi Party released the list of 11 candidates. The party has also fielded candidates on important Lok Sabha seats like Muzaffarnagar and Ghazipur. Harendra Malik has been given the ticket from Muzaffarnagar and gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari”s brother Afzal Ansari has been given the ticket from Ghazipur.

The SP has fielded Rajesh Kashyap from Shahjahanpur, Usha Verma from Hardoi, Rampal Rajvanshi from Misrikh, RK Chaudhary from Mohanlalganj, SP Singh Baghel from Pratapgarh, Ramesh Gautam from Bahraich, Shreya Verma from Gonda, Virendra Singh from Chandauli and Neeraj from Amla Lok Sabha seat.

On January 30, the Samajwadi Party announced its first list of candidates for 16 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.