Replying to the birthday wish from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi signalled his camaraderie saying the two boys of Uttar Pradesh would make India’s politics all about love.

Akhilesh Yadav, a key leader of the opposition INDIA bloc, posted on X, “Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Mr. @Rahulgandhi on his birthday.”

Thanking Akhilesh Yadav for his wish, Rahul Gandhi said, “UP ke do ladke Hindustan ki rajneeti ko mohabbat ki dukaan banayenge — khata-khat, khata-khat (Two boys of UP will make India’s politics a shop of love)”.

Read: Beyond the news: How poll outcome may reshape UP politics

“UP ke do ladke” was a tagline used to underline the coming together of Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. The alliance failed miserably and Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn’t miss the opportunity to take a swipe on their coming together in 2024.

“You might remember here in Uttar Pradesh that the film featuring two boys (‘do ladke’), which had flopped last time, the film of the two boys has been re-released by these people,” Modi had said at a rally.

Read: Buoyed by Lok Sabha success, Akhilesh eyes national politics

However, the alliance of Congress and Samajwadi Party took many political pundits by surprise as the INDIA bloc won 43 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, restricting the saffron juggernaut to 33. The Congress-Samajwadi Party bonhomie was visible on the ground, with the results proving that the vote transfer between the two allies had also been successful.

With Congress Working Committee in favour of Rahul Gandhi taking up the role of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Akhilesh Yadav choosing to remain as MP, the two leaders may be seen at the forefront of opposition’s attack in the lower house.

Rahul Gandhi’s remarks came amid talk of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party contemplating continuing the alliance in the bypolls and even later.