Archive · 4 Oct 2026
SP MP Says Akhilesh Persuaded Rahul to Contest Raebareli
A Samajwadi Party politician said his party helped Congress win seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 election.
He claimed Rahul Gandhi was nervous about running and that Akhilesh Yadav persuaded him to contest from Raebareli instead of Amethi.
The SP won 37 seats in the state, and Congress won six.
Patel said Congress should ask for no more than 50 seats in a future alliance.
He also predicted Congress could win no seats if it ran alone.
Patel argued that Dalit voters had moved toward the SP, though this was his claim.
A Congress spokesperson disagreed with Patel’s comments.
The spokesperson said the INDIA bloc helped Patel get elected and asked the SP to restrain leaders making such remarks.
Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel claimed Congress would have won no seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election without an alliance with the SP.
Patel said Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to contest and that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav persuaded him to run from Raebareli rather than Amethi.
The SP won 37 Uttar Pradesh seats in 2024, Congress won six, the BJP 33 and the NDA 36.
Patel said Congress should seek no more than 50 seats in Uttar Pradesh and warned it could win zero if it contested alone.
Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi rejected Patel’s remarks, saying the INDIA bloc helped him become an MP and urging the SP to rein in such statements.
- Who
- Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel and Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi; Patel made claims about Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav.
- What
- Patel argued that the SP alliance enabled Congress’s Uttar Pradesh wins and that Akhilesh persuaded Rahul Gandhi to contest from Raebareli; Awasthi criticized Patel’s comments.
- When
- Patel made the comments on Saturday; they concerned the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
- Where
- Uttar Pradesh, including the Raebareli and Amethi constituencies.
- Why
- Patel used the election results to argue that the SP has greater influence in Uttar Pradesh and that Congress should accept a smaller role in an alliance.
Samajwadi Party MP’s claims
Congress spokesperson’s response
Credit for Congress’s 2024 wins
Samajwadi Party MP’s claims
Patel said Congress would have won no seats without the SP alliance and that SP voters supported Congress candidates in seats allocated to it.
Congress spokesperson’s response
Awasthi said Patel became an MP because of the INDIA bloc and criticized his remarks.
Role and seat share in Uttar Pradesh
Samajwadi Party MP’s claims
Patel said the SP is far stronger in Uttar Pradesh, argued Congress should ask for no more than 50 seats, and predicted it could win zero if it contested alone.
Congress spokesperson’s response
Awasthi urged the SP to rein in leaders making such statements and said Patel should avoid them.
Caste-based support
Samajwadi Party MP’s claims
Patel said Congress’s caste-based appointments would bring no benefit and claimed Dalits had shifted toward the SP.
Congress spokesperson’s response
The articles provide no direct Congress response to Patel’s claim about Dalit voters or caste-based appointments.
- SP seats in Uttar Pradesh, 2024
- 37
- Congress seats in Uttar Pradesh, 2024
- 6
- BJP seats in Uttar Pradesh, 2024
- 33
- NDA seats in Uttar Pradesh, 2024
- 36
- Uttar Pradesh Assembly size
- 403 members
- Congress and SP MLAs in Uttar Pradesh
- Congress: 2; SP: 101
- Patel’s proposed Congress seat ceiling
- No more than 50 seats in Uttar Pradesh, according to Patel
