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2027 UP polls: Mystery posters on seat sharing surface, SP-Cong call it BJP’s ploy
The posters carrying photographs of Congress leaders appears at many places in Lucknow and Rae Bareli
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As the Congress pitches for a three-digit share in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls and groundwork for seat-sharing talks with the Samajwadi Party (SP) gains pace, a poster has added a new twist to the emerging alliance negotiations.
The posters carrying photographs of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, UP Congress chief Aradhana Mishra, state in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam and working president Imran Masood with “200 seat haq hai hamara, UP ko hai Rahul Gandhi par bharosa” (200 seats are our right; UP trusts Rahul Gandhi) written on them were seen in Lucknow, including one in Gomti Nagar, and Rae Bareli on Sunday, triggering allegations and counterattacks between the BJP and INDIA bloc leaders.
Both the SP and the Congress alleged that it was a “proxy” ploy by the BJP as “it was scared” and an “attempt to sabotage the alliance”. The slogan projecting a 200-seat claim has brought the Congress’s seat-sharing ambitions into sharper focus even before formal negotiations between the alliance partners begin.
Rejecting the allegations, BJP leader Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the party had nothing to do with the hoardings. He said the SP and the Congress should identify and take action against those trying to drive a wedge between the two parties instead of making baseless allegations against the BJP. Pathak added that the controversy stemmed from contradictory statements by SP and Congress leaders on seat-sharing for the 2027 assembly elections.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged in a social media post: “The alliance has given the BJP a stomach ache. They are so terrified that they are putting up fake posters.”
Akhilesh also demanded the suspension of municipal officials over the display of hoardings without payment of the requisite fees. “If fees was paid, a receipt would have to be issued, which would reveal the identity of the conspirator and lead to their arrest,” Akhilesh wrote in his post.
Congress’s UP in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam also accused the BJP of being behind the campaign. “This is nothing but mischief by the BJP, which has not only put up these hoardings but is also propagating them,” he alleged.
Endorsing Akhilesh’s stand, Gautam wrote on Facebook that the INDIA bloc was fighting to safeguard social justice, democracy and the Constitution. He asserted that the BJP could not break the alliance despite attempts to create confusion.
Gautam recently emphasised the Congress’s demand for a respectable and equitable share of seats in the alliance. He also spoke about preparing a list of constituencies the party wants to contest in the 2027 elections.
Asked whether the Congress would lodge a police complaint over the hoardings, Gautam questioned the likely response. “If we approach the police, will they register a complaint? It is also the municipal corporation’s responsibility to check whether hoardings have been put up without payment of the prescribed fees,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Aradhana Mishra said, “Those who engage in such childish antics—hiding behind posters—are clearly fearful of the strength of the INDIA alliance. This partnership is not for the sake of power, but a commitment to our shared struggle for the Constitution and democracy.”
In Rae Bareli, two hoardings were spotted in Ratapur area along the Lucknow-Rae Bareli road. District Congress president Pankaj Tiwari also alleged that the BJP was behind them.
UP Congress media cell vice president Priyanka Gupta said the posters appear to be AI generated. The SP’s national spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand wrote in a post on X: “Now SP will also put up posters regarding demand of seats by the NDA allies so that people come to know which party in the NDA is asking for how many seats.” Chand also tagged the BJP and its alliance partners in his post.
