UP Assembly bypolls: Congress not to contest any seats; says ‘not seats but winning’ important as it supports I.N.D.I.A. candidates

New Delhi: Congress on Thursday announced that it will not field any candidates for the Assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and unconditionally support I.N.D.I.A. candidates fighting on Samajwadi Party symbol in all the nine constituencies, saying “winning and not seat” is important when the BJP is posing a threat to the Constitution.

The decision came after discussions within the party central and state leadership, party General Secretary and UP in-charge Avinash Pande told reporters in the presence of UP Congress president Ajay Rai.

On Wednesday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said that I.N.D.I.A. bloc candidates will contest all nine seats in the state on his party’s election symbol ‘cycle’.

Congress had been bargaining hard with the SP to contest at least three out of nine seats in the bypolls but the latter agreed for only two seats – Khair and Ghaziabad.

SP was also not willing to part with seats like Phulpur and Manjhawa that Congress wanted, prompting the latter to decide not to contest seats it may not be able to win.

“The BJP is posing a threat to the Constitution and brotherhood. Against the backdrop of growing political and social tension and the goal with which I.N.D.I.A. was formed, we have decided that the Congress will not field candidates for bypolls in UP. We will work unitedly to help I.N.D.I.A. candidates win this election,” Pande said.

Asked whether the Congress was surrendering before SP, he said it is not the time to think about growing the organisation, but to fight unitedly to save the Constitution and ensure that peace is not disturbed.

“It is not about seats but about winning…It is not about contesting on two or four seats. It is about contesting together to achieve our aim,” he said.

Pande said all Congress workers will work to ensure the victory of I.N.D.I.A. bloc candidates.

“We are a national party and we have certain responsibilities. We have to rise above partisan politics,” he said.