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“Where does the question of a seat-sharing deal arise?": Congress Confirms No Alliance with AAP for Delhi Assembly Elections
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Congress confirmed on Monday that it would not form an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. This comes a day after AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday, ruled out the possibility of any tie-ups with the Grand Old Party.
Udit Raj, the former Lok Sabha MP from Delhi's North-West constituency and a member of the Congress pointed out that the interim head of Congress’s Delhi unit, Devender Yadav, had already made it clear that no alliance would be formed with AAP. "When Congress has already stated its position, where does the question of a seat-sharing deal arise?" Raj said, emphasizing that the matter had been settled long ago.
Raj also accused AAP of trying to manipulate public perception. "It seems they are trying to create an atmosphere that pressures Congress. Otherwise, when everything is clear, why continue to raise the issue?" he said. A week ago, the Delhi Congress had explicitly stated its firm stance against any alliance with other parties, including AAP.
During a press conference on Sunday, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had stated that AAP will not form an alliance with Congress or any other party for that matter. "There will be no alliance in Delhi," he affirmed, dismissing any speculation about a potential tie-up with Congress or any member of the INDIA alliance.
The BJP, which remains AAP’s main competitor in Delhi, has seized the opportunity to mock the AAP-Congress split. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Ponnawalla ridiculed the two parties for their lack of ambition. "After coming together for the Lok Sabha elections, they couldn't win a single seat in Delhi. Now, they’re saying they will contest against each other, but will come together in Parliament," he said.
The decision to forgo an alliance for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections follows the AAP and Congress’s brief partnership during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which resulted in losses for both parties as the BJP swept all the seats in Delhi. Additionally, the two parties had engaged in seat-sharing discussions ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections in October, but those talks collapsed, with the BJP emerging victorious in the state.
