UP bypolls: Congress will not field candidates in all 9 assembly seats; here's why

AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande

The Congress party will not field candidates for the nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh where bypolls are scheduled. Instead, the party will support nominees from the Samajwadi Party or other INDIA bloc parties.

LIVE: Congress party briefing by shri @avinashpandeinc and Shri @kashikirai at AICC HQ. https://t.co/qZKz3DfSvp
Congress (@INCIndia) October 24, 2024

AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande made the announcement at a press conference in New Delhi, alongside Congress’s Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai. Pande said that the decision followed consultations with Rai, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhna Mishra, AICC General Secretary for Organisation KC Venugopal, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the leadership of the Samajwadi Party.

During the briefing, he said that the focus should be on winning seats rather than merely securing them. Congress workers and leaders would work unconditionally to ensure the victory of candidates from the INDIA bloc.

He also clarified that the candidates and symbols will belong to the Samajwadi Party or any other INDIA bloc ally, not to the Congress.

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.

“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.