The Congress has kicked off its seat-sharing negotiations with the Samajwadi Party (SP) for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections by identifying around 200 constituencies it wants to contest. However, the party has made it clear that respect within the alliance matters more than a fixed seat count.The list has been split into four categories, giving the Congress different levels of flexibility during negotiations. Party leaders are understood to be firm on constituencies in Category A, willing to consider some changes in Category B and more open to adjustments in Categories C and D.The exercise follows preliminary talks with the SP and three internal meetings led by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Aradhana Misra, working state president Imran Masood and state in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam were also present when talks got underway, said party sources.Congress leaders stressed that the list of around 200 constituencies was intended to set out the party’s preferences, not to demand that it be allotted that many seats. The party has not fixed a minimum number of seats for itself and is seeking what it considers a “respectable share” in the alliance.Responding to questions about the large number of seats identified by the Congress, a senior party leader said the party had a long political history and would not accept an arrangement that undermined its standing. “There will be no compromise on respect,” he said when asked whether the Congress had set a minimum number of seats it would contest.The seat-sharing talks will test how the two INDIA bloc partners balance their respective ambitions before the crucial state election. The Congress is seeking a meaningful role in the contest, while the SP remains its principal ally in the state against the BJP.The two parties had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together in UP. The SP won 37 of the state’s 80 seats, while the Congress secured six, taking their combined tally to 43. That performance gave the INDIA bloc a strong position in the state. The challenge now is to carry that understanding into the Assembly election, where the distribution of constituencies will be a key test of the alliance’s unity.The Congress’s four-category list gives the two sides a starting point for negotiations, but the final arrangement will depend on how far each is prepared to accommodate the other’s electoral priorities.