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@article{192172,
        author = {Shivam Chauhan and Dr. Shivkant Yadav},
        title = {Strategic Vote Consolidation Under FPTP: The SP-Congress Alliance and Opposition Electoral Performance in Uttar Pradesh, 2024},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {9},
        pages = {610-616},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=192172},
        abstract = {The 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh produced a paradoxical outcome: the INDIA opposition alliance secured 43 seats with 43.52% vote share while the NDA won 36 seats with 43.69% vote share—nearly identical vote shares producing asymmetric seat distributions. This paper analyzes how opposition alliances benefit in first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral systems through vote consolidation mechanisms. Using electoral data from the Election Commission of India and caste voting patterns from CSDS-Lokniti post-poll surveys, we demonstrate that the SP-Congress coalition succeeded through: (1) preventing vote-splitting via formal seat-sharing, (2) consolidating complementary caste, and (3) geographic concentration in backward-caste regions. The alliance improved vote-to-seat conversion efficiency substantially compared to 2019. The paper contributes that opposition success in FPTP systems depends on eliminating vote-splitting fragmentation through credible seat-sharing arrangements.},
        keywords = {Caste Politics, Electoral Alliances, FPTP system, General Election 2024, Uttar Pradesh},
        month = {February},
        }