"Alliance with Congress off to good start with 11 strong seats": Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that his party's alliance with the Congress is "off to a good start" with 11 "strong" Lok Sabha seats in the state for 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"Our cordial alliance with Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward with the winning equation. 'INDIA' team and the 'PDA' strategy will change history," Akhilesh Yadav posted on X.
The state sends 80 members to the Lower House of Parliament and Lok Sabha elections are set to take place in the coming months of 2024.
Earlier this month, Akhilesh Yadav held a meeting in Lucknow with party leaders that included former MPs, former MLAs, and former MLCs. He said winnability is a key criterion for deciding on seats.
"We and RLD's Jayant Choudhary had a good conversation. We had a discussion regarding seven seats. We are also in conversation with Congress. Several meetings have taken place in Delhi. Very soon, more meetings will be held, and a way will be found. The INDIA alliance should be strong; the question is not of (number of) seats but of winning. On the basis of winnability, we all will take a decision together," he said.
The seat-sharing talks in Uttar Pradesh are crucial for INDIA block parties in their goal to take on the BJP collectively in the Lok Sabha polls expected to take place in April-May this year.
Akhilesh Yadav on Friday announced seat-sharing with Jayant Chaudhary's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Uttar Pradesh is crucial for the BJP as well as the opposition parties as it has the largest number of 80 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP has done well in the state in the last two Lok Sabha elections and the opposition parties are hoping that their coming together will help prevent division of anti-BJP votes. The BSP has said that it will fight the polls alone.
Congress is keen that seat-sharing pact is sealed before Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra comes to Uttar Pradesh.