Amidst the speculations of ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab joining hands with the principal opposition party in the state, the Congress, for 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the state unit of the grand old party on Tuesday declared to contest all 13 parliamentary seats independently.

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring made it clear that the party would independently contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming polls in the State. The announcement comes following a unanimous resolution passed by the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) during a meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders held at the Punjab Congress Bhavan on Tuesday.

The resolution not only ratified the party’s decision to go solo in the elections but also granted full authority to the PPCC president and the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) to convey this decision to the Delhi Durbar — the Congress high command.

The decision marks a clear departure from the earlier discussions of a potential coalition with AAP, which had been a subject of speculation and debate within the state’s political circles. The rejection of a coalition with AAP underscores the party's intent to contest the upcoming polls on its own strength, while deflecting from the party high command’s alliance at the national level of which AAP is also a part.

Adding further intrigue to the political landscape, all Congress Members of Parliament (MPs) from Punjab have been summoned for a meeting with the party high command in New Delhi. This meeting is expected to shed more light on the party's strategy, coordination, and campaign plans for the impending Lok Sabha elections, along with the decision on coalition in Punjab.

Notably, Punjab Finance Minister and senior AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema had, only recently, expressed the party’s intent to form an alliance with the Congress for the parliamentary polls to “save the country”. However, the state Congress leaders have vehemently opposed any such coalition.

During the meeting at Punjab Congress Bhavan, a considerable number of leaders opposed an alliance with AAP. As per information available, three former Ministers, who attended the meeting, strongly rejected the idea, emphasizing that such a coalition would only lead to the resurgence of the Akali Dal, as Congress workers were overwhelmingly against it.

PPCC president Warring and the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa were entrusted with the task of conveying this decision to the party high command during an upcoming meeting on the sidelines of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting scheduled for September 16 in Hyderabad.

Responding to the state Congress’ resistance to an AAP alliance, Finance Minister Harpal Cheema emphasized the national leadership’s decision to contest elections jointly, stating, “Brushing aside our differences, we are fighting together to stop the BJP from succeeding in its efforts to silence all opposition in the country, which is very dangerous for our democracy.”

The PPCC chief clarified that no formal resolution was passed, but the leaders expressed their collective reluctance to form an alliance with AAP, requesting that their concerns be conveyed to the party high command.

During the meeting, party leaders voiced their belief that an alliance with AAP would jeopardize their role as the principal opposition party, potentially leading to a loss of cadres and leaders. They expressed concerns about their ability to effectively hold the ruling party accountable, which has been a primary focus of their political agenda.

In a separate development, on Tuesday (September 5), Punjab Congress president Warring held a meeting with all MLAs and district committees to strategize for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. It was reaffirmed during the meeting that the Congress would independently contest all 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab for the 2024 general elections, firmly ruling out any electoral understanding with AAP. This decision underscores the Congress's role as the primary opposition to the ruling AAP government in the state.

Warring emphasized, “Punjab Congress is preparing to contest all 13 seats in Punjab as per the directions of Congress high command, which has clearly asked leaders in the state to prepare for all 13 seats.” When questioned about the possibility of seat-sharing between Congress and AAP, Punjab Finance Minister and senior AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema mentioned that the alliance discussions were in a preliminary stage, with the final decision to be made by the party leadership in Delhi.