The Congress-Samajwadi Party (SP) alliance in Uttar Pradesh has hit a significant roadblock ahead of the 2026 panchayat elections, with the Congress formally announcing that it will contest the polls alone. The decision was finalised on Wednesday during a high-level meeting at 10, Janpath, in Delhi, attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and all six Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh.

The shift comes at a time when the Grand Old Party is recalibrating its strategy in the Hindi heartland, especially after its poor performance in the recent Bihar assembly elections. The rethink began earlier this year, when UP Congress chief Ajay Rai publicly declared that the party would contest all 11 MLC seats independently—an ear

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