New Delhi, Oct 4 — Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday stressed that the primary objective of the INDIA bloc should be victory rather than the number of seats won by individual parties, saying that a united effort is necessary to defeat communalism and protect democracy, the Constitution and reservations.
In a post on X, Yadav said that when the goal is clear and the focus remains fixed on the destination, the journey becomes easier.
“When the goal is clear, hand in hand we stand, When the gaze is fixed on the destination, the journey becomes easy!”
“The big thing isn't how many seats the alliance gets or which seat goes to whom - the big thing is that we all must ensure that the victory belongs to the alliance. Let us repeat again: It's not about the seats, it's about the victory,” he added.
Yadav expressed confidence saying, "This victory will be greater than the parties in our alliance - it will be the victory of all of us, of that united effort that persists in struggle so that communalism may never raise its head again, so that BJP's influence may not touch democracy, the Constitution, or reservations, and so that the country's harmony may bloom once more, and the nation's progress and prosperity may smile again.”
Yadav's remarks come at a time when the Samajwadi Party and the Congress are preparing to begin deliberations over seat-sharing for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The formula for a pre-poll alliance between the two parties is yet to be finalised, with seat allocation emerging as a potential point of contention.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel on Saturday questioned the Congress' reported demand for 150 seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. He said the Congress should seek seats in proportion to its electoral strength and organisational presence in the state.
Speaking to IANS, Patel said, "I think if they are given 50 seats, they should look at their actual position and status before seeking anything more than 50 seats. They should look at their past record. The six seats we got in Madhya Pradesh were because of the Samajwadi Party. Therefore, if they do this, there will be our candidates as well as theirs on several seats. This will only lead to a loss, so they should agree to 50 seats."
Earlier on Wednesday, Yadav had hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that its "biggest sorrow" was that the INDIA bloc was "united".
He made the remarks after BJP leaders criticised him for skipping the INDIA bloc's meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. However, the Samajwadi Party was represented by its other leaders at the meeting.