Rahul Gandhi was too scared to contest Amethi in 2024, claims Samajwadi Party MP

A public claim by a Samajwadi Party MP that Rahul Gandhi was "so scared" to contest his traditional seat of Amethi in the 2024 general election has sparked a fresh row within the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh.

Shiv Pal Singh Patel, the Samajwadi Party (SP) MP for Pratapgarh, told news agency PTI that the Congress leader only agreed to run from neighbouring Raebareli after being pressured and reassured by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

"Had there been no alliance, they wouldn't have won a single seat," Patel said, referring to the Congress's performance in Uttar Pradesh. "It even reached a point where their top leader Rahul Gandhi was ready to give up his seat. He contested from elsewhere instead of Amethi. He was so scared."

According to Patel, Gandhi was extremely reluctant to contest from the family's traditional stronghold, and only did so after Yadav threatened to field an SP candidate in the seat instead.

"It was our national president who reassured and persuaded him, asking him to contest and warning that if he didn't, he would field his own candidate," Patel said. "Only then did Gandhi agree to contest."

How did the Congress react?

The comments have gone down badly with the Congress, which is currently negotiating seat-sharing arrangements with the SP for upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi hit back, pointing out that Patel owed his own election victory to the coalition.

"The Samajwadi Party must work to rein in leaders who make such statements," Awasthi told PTI. "It is because of the INDIA bloc that he has become an MP. He should know his limits and avoid making statements like these."

Akhilesh Yadav steps in

The public spat forced Akhilesh Yadav to intervene quickly. Speaking to reporters at an event in Lucknow, Yadav issued a de facto gag order to his party members to stop them from airing coalition grievances in public.

"I would like to tell all our leaders that whatever opinions or concerns they have regarding seat-sharing should be shared with us," Yadav said, directing them to keep negotiations behind closed doors.

The numbers behind the row

The tension comes as both parties attempt to negotiate from positions of strength following their surprisingly strong performance in Uttar Pradesh during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The SP won 37 of the state's 80 seats, while the Congress secured six, limiting the ruling BJP to 33 seats. Patel argued that this performance gap means the Congress must accept a junior role in the state.

He suggested the Congress should not ask for a major share of seats in upcoming assembly contests, noting that the SP currently has 101 MLAs in the 403-member state assembly compared to the Congress's two.

"If we proceed with an alliance, we will certainly benefit," Patel said. "Even if it doesn't happen, we won't have any significant loss. But for them, the tally will drop to zero."

The Congress has previously indicated it expects a respectable share of seats in the state, with its state in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam recently stating that the party has viable candidates for all 403 constituencies and would not want to contest fewer than 150 seats in a full assembly election alliance.