At a time of challenges within the INDIA bloc, the Congress and the AAP have resolved their differences to finalise a seat-sharing agreement in Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Chandigarh, and Goa for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. But both the parties will go solo in Punjab. This marks the second seat-sharing deal within the INDIA bloc, following a similar agreement between the SP and Congress in Uttar Pradesh recently.
In Delhi, the AAP will contest four seats — West Delhi, South Delhi, East Delhi, and New Delhi. The remaining three — North East Delhi, North West Delhi, and Chandni Chowk — will be contested by the Congress.
In the 2019 election, the BJP won all seven seats. The announcement came during a joint press conference of the AAP and the Congress.
In Gujarat, out of its 26 Lok Sabha seats, Congress will contest 24, while AAP will contest two, including Bharuch and Bhavnagar. In Haryana, which has 10 seats, Congress will contest nine, and AAP will contest one, Kurukshetra. Extensive discussions were held regarding the Chandigarh seat, ultimately decided in favour of the Congress candidate. Detailed discussions also took place concerning Goa, with both seats being contested by the Congress,” he added.
Seat-sharing has been a major challenge for the INDIA bloc, with negotiations complicated by the aspirations of regional parties. The Congress’s recent electoral setbacks in three heartland states have emboldened these regional powers to demand a larger share of seats.
Last week, the AAP had announced a candidate for South Goa but will now withdraw it to accommodate its ally. Initially, the AAP had planned to contest all 13 seats in Punjab independently.During the press conference, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, former Congress general secretary Deepak Babaria, along with AAP MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj, and AAP MP Sandeep Pathak were present.Wasnik emphasized that it’s not just the AAP or Kejriwal facing pressure tactics from the BJP.”This isn’t limited to the AAP or AAP’s leader Arvind Kejriwal. The circumstances created by the BJP in the country pose a threat to democracy. Using agencies like the CBI, ED, and Income Tax to exert pressure on everyone is the kind of politics the BJP is engaging in, which is dangerous for Indian democracy.
It’s not just the Congress and AAP, but the people of India who will fight against it,” he said. The Congress alliance with the AAP has put many party workers in a dilemma as they were not in favor of aligning with Arvind Kejriwal’s party in Delhi. There’s a possibility that some Delhi Congress leaders may leave the party.The Pioneer spoke to several Delhi Congress leaders who expressed their dissatisfaction with the alliance with the AAP. “The Congress has been finished in Delhi,” said a Congress leader on the condition of anonymity.
In Bharuch, late Congress stalwart Ahmed Patel’s daughter, Mumtaz Patel, apologised to party workers after the Bharuch seat went to the AAP’s quota as part of the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.In a social media post on X, Mumtaz Patel expressed disappointment over the alliance’s decision and called on the party workers to regroup. “Deeply apologize to Our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make@INCIndia stronger. We won’t let @ahmedpatel 45 years of Legacy go in vain,”she said. While Mumtaz’s brother Faisal Patel called the INDIA bloc “very important for the democracy”, he said the Opposition would win the Bharuch seat only if Congress contested from there.”I want to say this to(Delhi CM and AAP chief) Arvind Kejriwal that we (INDIA alliance) can win this seat only if the Congress contests from here. This is only after looking at the winnability criteria,” he said in a post on X.
