North India Statesman
In a remark that has sparked fresh debate across Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape, former BJP Member of Parliament and wrestling administrator Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has taken a pointed swipe at the Congress party regarding its demand for 150 seats in the state alliance. Responding to media queries regarding the contentious seat-sharing friction between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the grand old party, Singh dismissed Congress’s electoral leverage, quipping with a grin that “everything is desolate without Akhilesh” in Uttar Pradesh.
High-Voltage Jibe at Congress Electoral Clout
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, the veteran political heavyweight was questioned about state Congress leaders aggressively pitching for no fewer than 150 assembly seats within the INDIA alliance framework. Singh cut short the premise of the question, underscoring that the Congress lacks an independent ground base across the heartland.
He emphasized that without Akhilesh Yadav’s organizational machinery and core cadre backing, Congress holds negligible political currency in Uttar Pradesh. After delivering the terse one-liner that without Akhilesh, Congress has virtually no ground presence, the former Kaiserganj lawmaker departed with a smile, leaving political corridors buzzing with varied interpretations of his public praise for the SP chief.
Escalating Friction Inside SP-Congress Alliance
Singh’s remarks come against the backdrop of simmering discord between alliance partners Samajwadi Party and Congress over assembly seat apportionment:
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Congress Demand: State party functionaries have insisted on contesting a prominent chunk of over 150 assembly constituencies, citing nationwide momentum and parliamentary election benchmarks.
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SP’s Realistic Calculus: The Samajwadi Party leadership maintains that allocation must strictly mirror ground organizational strength rather than inflated posturing, pointing out that SP remains the primary regional engine contesting the ruling NDA.
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Floor Disagreements: SP insiders have frequently signaled that yielding excessive or non-viable seats risks squandering competitive anti-incumbency votes across crucial rural and semi-urban constituencies.
A Pattern of Cross-Party Softness
This is not the first instance where Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has publicly complimented or adopted a gentle tone toward the Samajwadi Party supremo. Over the years, both leaders have generally refrained from making harsh personal attacks against each other.
Akhilesh Yadav had previously referred to Singh’s longstanding personal rapport with the late Samajwadi stalwart Mulayam Singh Yadav, rooted in traditional wrestling and regional Awadh-Purvanchal political circuits. Observers note that Singh’s swift intervention—pitting the SP chief directly against the Congress leadership serves to expose alliance fault lines while underscoring regional realities in northern state politics.
