The formal announcement of Uttar Pradesh's 2027 assembly elections is still some way off, but the friction between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party has already hit a boiling point. The same Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi pairing that delivered strong results together in the 2024 Lok Sabha election is now caught in a tussle over seat sharing and political clout. Watching the sparring between the two parties, it feels like their alliance has turned into the old tale of Vikram and Betaal, where the moment an election draws near, one party climbs onto the other's back like the Betaal, and an endless round of conditions and taunts begins. At the centre of this dispute are Congress MP from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, and state-level leaders of the Samajwadi Party, whose war of words is now raising real questions about the alliance's future.
BJP's jibe, Congress compared to an old mansion
Uttar Pradesh's political circles are currently buzzing with sharp exchanges between Congress and Samajwadi Party leaders. On television debates, spokespersons from both parties are going after each other. The Bharatiya Janata Party has not missed the chance to needle them either. The BJP says Congress's condition in Uttar Pradesh resembles an old mansion whose blueprint stays the same even today, only the rooms keep changing with every generation. According to the BJP, Congress has little left to lose, yet its confidence is so high that it starts claiming a massive win in the next election the moment it loses the current one. Rahul Gandhi, for his part, has openly backed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's PDA formula in Uttar Pradesh, which is why the closeness between the two parties looked like a strong partnership back in 2024.
A patient on a ventilator or an equal claim, the seat war
On the other side, Samajwadi Party's internal circles have taken a sharp swipe at Congress, which is running on the strength of just a handful of MLAs and a few MPs in Uttar Pradesh. The talk within the SP is that Congress is behaving like a patient who is on a ventilator yet insists it is perfectly healthy and demands an immediate discharge. After gaining a few seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Congress is now demanding roughly equal seats in the coming assembly election, somewhere between 170 and 200 seats. That demand has put Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party on alert, since giving up such a large share of seats is not an easy compromise for the SP.
Imran Masood's tone angers the SP camp
This one-sided bitterness within the alliance has largely been triggered by the statements of Congress MP Imran Masood. Masood has made it clear that he is not begging the Samajwadi Party for anything and that Congress deserves an equal share in the elections. Masood said, "We are not begging the Samajwadi Party. The 2022 election was different, now the country is looking towards Rahul Gandhi. We will fight for our party's existence." Hitting back, Samajwadi Party leader Ashu Malik said, "If Imran Masood has even a shred of self-respect left, he should resign immediately. He is damaging the alliance." Akhilesh Yadav himself has said on several occasions, "Our alliance is strong, but the door is open for those who want to leave it."
Masood hits back, accuses SP of vote bank politics
Ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh election, Samajwadi Party leaders big and small have openly started calling Imran Masood an agent of the BJP. Hitting back at that charge, Masood said the Samajwadi Party itself stays silent on issues concerning Muslims, whether it is matters related to mosques or bulldozers running through markets, but when it comes to seeking votes, the party wants nothing but a lump-sum Muslim vote. Masood's remark has added further fuel to the row, since it directly questions the Samajwadi Party's politics around the Muslim community.
Who benefits the most, what analysts say
Political analysts believe the biggest beneficiary of this entire political drama unfolding between the Samajwadi Party and Congress is clearly the Bharatiya Janata Party. When the opposition stays busy fighting among itself, the ruling party's path becomes far easier. Congress may be trying to present itself across the country as a strong alternative to regional parties, but the ground reality in Uttar Pradesh tells a different story. Here, Congress still feels the need for some kind of crutch to stand on its own at the grassroots level.
The 2027 test, can Vikram hold on to Betaal
All eyes are now on whether Akhilesh Yadav, playing the role of Vikram, manages to keep Congress, cast as the Betaal, under control in this 2027 test. The question also is whether this Betaal will slip away and go back to hang on the tree, in other words, whether the alliance will reach the brink of collapse. The ongoing war of words between Imran Masood and Samajwadi Party leaders has made it clear that trust between the two parties over seat sharing remains in short supply, and this tug of war could intensify further in the coming months.
