Congress will not field candidates in UP Assembly bypolls, says it will support INDIA bloc candidates

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday announced that it would not field candidates in the nine Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats where bypolls are being held and would support candidates from the INDIA bloc.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here along with Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai, AICC general secretary Avinash Pande said party workers and leaders would work unconditionally to ensure the victory of the Samajwadi Party candidates or that of other parties of the INDIA bloc.

He said the current political circumstances were not about strengthening the organization or the party but about protecting the Constitution.

He said it was not about seats but about winning those seats.

Pande said the decision was taken after consultations with Rai, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhna Mishra, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, as well as the Samajwadi Party leadership.

The Congress’ assertion came a day after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said all INDIA bloc candidates would contest the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh on its “cyclical” election symbol.

Pande, however, clarified that both the candidate and the symbol would be from the Samajwadi Party or any other ally of the INDIAN bloc, and not from the Congress.

Yadav had earlier said the alliance’s decision was not driven by seat-sharing calculations but the quest for victory.

“Congress and Samajwadi Party are united and stand shoulder to shoulder for a big victory. The Indian bloc will write a new chapter of victory in this by-election,” Yadav said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Yadav also shared a photo with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on X on Thursday and highlighted their shared commitment to protecting the Constitution, reservation and social harmony.

The nine Assembly seats going to polls are Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur and Kundarki.

The supplementary ballots will take place on November 13 and the results announced on November 23.