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AICC general secretary Avinash Pande said the party would unconditionally work to ensure the victory of Samajwadi Party candidates or that of other INDIA bloc parties
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav. (Image: PTI/File)
The Congress party on Thursday announced that it will not field candidates in the nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh where bypolls are taking place. Instead, it will support nominees from the Samajwadi Party or other INDIA bloc parties.
AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande made the announcement at a press conference at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, where Congress’s Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai was also present.
Pande stated that the decision was made after consultations with Rai, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhna Mishra, AICC General Secretary for Organisation KC Venugopal, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and the leadership of the Samajwadi Party.
He noted that Congress workers and leaders would work unconditionally to ensure the victory of candidates from the INDIA bloc. However, he clarified that the candidates and symbols will belong to the Samajwadi Party or any other INDIA bloc ally, not to the Congress.
During the briefing, he stated that the current political situation is not about strengthening the party but about protecting the Constitution. He asserted that the focus is not on securing seats but on winning them.
The Congress’s announcement came a day after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stated that all INDIA bloc candidates would contest the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh using the ‘cycle’ symbol.
Yadav had previously said that the alliance’s decision was driven not by seat-sharing but by the goal of achieving victory.
“Congress and Samajwadi Party are united and stand shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. India bloc is going to write a new chapter of victory in this by-election,” Yadav posted on X on Wednesday.
‘बात सीट की नहीं जीत की है’ इस रणनीति के तहत ‘इंडिया गठबंधन’ के संयुक्त प्रत्याशी सभी 9 सीटों पर समाजवादी पार्टी के चुनाव चिन्ह ‘साइकिल’ के निशान पर चुनाव लड़ेंगे।कांग्रेस और समाजवादी पार्टी एक बड़ी जीत के लिए एकजुट होकर, कंधे से कंधा मिलाकर साथ खड़ी है। इंडिया गठबंधन इस…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) October 23, 2024
On Thursday, Yadav shared a photo with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on X, highlighting their joint commitment to protecting the “Constitution, reservations, and harmony.”
The nine assembly seats up for election are Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur, and Kundarki. The bypolls will be held on November 13, with results to be announced on November 23.
(With inputs from PTI)
