While sources have told India TV that the Congress has sought over 200 seats for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party is likely to offer the grand old party somewhere between 60 to 70 constituencies.

The seat-sharing tussle seems to be intensifying between Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh slated for early next year, with the former looking to allocate less than 100 seats to the grand old party, citing its performance in previous polls.

Sources had earlier told India TV that the Congress wants an equal share in seat-sharing and has demanded to contest on over 200 assembly constituencies. Citing its performances in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when it won six seats in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is staking its claim to a larger share of seats in the state for the 2027 assembly elections.

The Congress is focusing on seats where its performance was better at the assembly segment level.

However, the Samajwadi Party wants to retain the lion's share for itself. According to sources, the party is reportedly looking to allocate somewhere between 60 to 70 seats to Congress. However, there is no confirmation if the Samajwadi Party has communicated this to Congress or not.

On the other hand, the Congress is hoping to conclude the seat-sharing talks by November 15 to ensure that each candidate gets appropriate time to prepare in their respective seats. For Congress, party's national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is at the forefront of finalising the seat-sharing pact, and she remains in regular touch with the organisation's state leaders.

While the tussle continues within the two allies over seat-sharing, Samajwadi Party's national president Akhilesh Yadav has said that the alliance's key goal remains defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been in power in Uttar Pradesh since 2017. He said SP-Congress coalition will move forward effectively.

"The Congress, the Samajwadi Party, and the INDIA bloc must be strengthened. Our collective goal is to see that the BJP is removed. To ensure the ouster of the BJP, we will make people understand, and we will do so. The alliance will move forward effectively to defeat the BJP," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister told reporters on Friday.

The 2027 Uttar Pradesh is largely seen as a contest between the BJP and the SP-Congress bonhomie, with smaller National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners -- Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Apna Dal (S), Nishad Party and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) -- also expected to play a crucial role.