Congress stakes claim to 200 seats in UP alliance talks with SP

Congress has formally submitted its demand for 175 to 200 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh as negotiations over seat allocation with alliance partner Samajwadi Party enter a critical phase. Party posters in Lucknow have underscored the Congress position that the seats represent a minimum baseline for the party's participation in the electoral contest. The Congress Uttar Pradesh chief indicated that the party had already presented its formal list of demanded constituencies to the SP, setting the stage for detailed discussions on final arrangements. The seat-sharing agreement between the two opposition parties is seen as crucial to their strategy of challenging the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's dominance in the state. Congress leadership at the national level will make the final determination on how many seats the party will actually contest, party officials said.