UP alliance leaders back Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav separately ahead of 2027 polls

Two opposition leaders in Uttar Pradesh have publicly made the case for their respective party chiefs as the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance looks ahead to the 2027 Assembly polls. The remarks came on a day when BJP president Nitin Nabin toured western Uttar Pradesh to strengthen the party's poll strategy.

Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan and Congress MP Imran Masood, both elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as part of the SP-Congress alliance, backed different leaders as central to taking on the BJP. Their statements came even as senior leaders of both parties have repeatedly spoken of maintaining unity.

Masood told PTI, "Only Rahul Gandhi is the opposition voice across the country, which unnerves the BJP. Rahul ji has done the hard work and created a favourable atmosphere. So make no mistake, nothing is possible without Rahul ji, and no one should have any doubts about this." The Congress MP, who was earlier with the SP, has also repeatedly called for an early decision on seat-sharing and described the Congress as the "big brother" in the alliance. SP leaders, however, have said that Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav would decide the alliance's contours.

On Tuesday, Hasan pitched SP chief Akhilesh Yadav as the key figure for the alliance. She said, "Only Akhilesh Yadav is capable of defeating the BJP. On its own, the Congress won't be able to achieve much." The differing claims have pointed to a gap in messaging among local leaders and alliance workers, despite repeated assertions of unity by senior leaders.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, the SP and Congress contested together and won 43 seats between them, with the SP winning 37 and the Congress six. The alliance also won the Faizabad seat, which includes Ayodhya, where the BJP had won in 2019.

Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said his party was open to an alliance with parties seeking to stop the BJP from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh. Speaking at a public meeting in Kanpur on Sunday, he said, "We also do not want the BJP government to be formed in UP for the third time. If you want to stop the BJP from forming the government again, come and join hands with AIMIM." He said AIMIM would wait until October 2 before announcing its alliance, if any, adding another dimension to the opposition alliance talks in the state. - EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 22, 2026 21:45 IST