In the midst of the political chessboard gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced on Tuesday its intention to contest six seats in Delhi, while offering just one to the Congress. This move prompts Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely to respond, retorting that seat sharing “cannot be decided at press conferences.”
The AAP becomes the third party to express its stance independently from the Congress, following the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which decided to go it alone, and the JD(U) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which exited the bloc.
This proposition arises despite AAP’s assertion that the Congress does not merit even a single seat based on its performance. Earlier, AAP announced its plans to reveal candidates for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and the lone seat in Chandigarh.
“We want to contest six seats in Delhi and offer one to the Congress for the polls based on the recent election vote shares. We are not announcing any candidates for Delhi at the moment, but if seat-sharing talks do not progress swiftly, we will announce candidates for all six seats in Delhi,” said AAP’s Political Affairs Committee member and Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak at a press conference after the PAC meeting.
In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP secured victory in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. In the 2019 elections, AAP garnered an 18.1% vote share, securing the third position, while the Congress garnered 22.5% of the votes and came second in five of the seven Lok Sabha seats. The BJP claimed a 56.5% vote share.
Pathak emphasised that based on merit, the Congress party does not deserve even a single seat in Delhi. However, considering the ‘dharma of alliance,’ AAP is offering them one seat in Delhi. “We propose that the Congress party fight for one seat and AAP for six,” he reiterated, emphasising their commitment to the opposition grouping INDIA.
Pathak mentioned that they have been waiting for over a month for the seat-sharing talks to resume for Delhi, but there has been no communication from the Congress. “There were two official meetings between the Congress and AAP on January 8 and January 12. The discussions took place in a positive atmosphere, but unfortunately, no agreement was reached.
“After these two official meetings, there has been no further dialogue in the past month. We were informed that the Congress party’s (Bharat Jodo Nyay) Yatra was ongoing, causing a delay. Despite meeting senior Congress leaders during this time, they also seemed unaware of any progress,” he explained.
AAP has emphasised its bargaining position with the Congress, leveraging its previous strong electoral performance in Delhi, where it secured a majority of assembly seats. Meanwhile, the Congress is striving to regain
its influence in the capital, following a series of electoral setbacks in recent times.
“Congress currently holds zero Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and zero seats in the Delhi assembly. Out of 250 wards, the Congress only won 9 seats in the 2022 MCD election. Even based on merit, the Congress party does not deserve a single seat according to available data. However, data alone is not the sole criterion. Out of alliance principles and as a sign of respect, we are prepared to offer one seat to the Congress. We are not announcing candidates today. We hope that seat-sharing talks for Delhi will be finalised soon so that we can begin our work. If no agreement is reached soon, we will announce candidates for the six seats in the next few days and initiate our campaign,” Pathak concluded.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP swept all seven seats in Delhi, with the Congress trailing behind and AAP finishing third. However, AAP’s subsequent victories in the Delhi Assembly elections and municipal polls, along with its success in dislodging the Congress government in Punjab, have strengthened its position.
Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely said Congress is the only party that is highly prepared to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “Seats for Lok Sabha cannot be decided at press conferences. If compared, we are more prepared than any other party in Delhi this time. When it comes to the party’s performance, everyone knows the results of 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Congress was in second place in five seats,” Lovely said.
Speaking about alliance with AAP in Delhi, Lovely reiterated that the Delhi Congress will follow whatever the senior leaders of AICC decide.