New Delhi: The INDIA bloc companions Congress and Aam Aadmi Occasion (AAP) Saturday introduced that the 2 will put up a joint battle within the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, clinching a seat sharing pact in Delhi, Haryana and Gujarat.
In Delhi, the Congress will subject candidates in three seats — Chandni Chowk, northeast Delhi and northwest — leaving the remaining 4 seats of east, south, west, and New Delhi for the AAP.
The AAP, in flip, will contest Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats in Gujarat, in addition to Kurukshetra in Haryana, as a part of the alliance. The occasion may even not subject candidates in Goa’s two constituencies, and the only real seat in Chandigarh to stop any cut up in Opposition votes.
The announcement got here after rounds of conferences between leaders of the Congress and the AAP, which first unseated the Congress from energy in Delhi in 2013, adopted by Punjab in 2022.
In Gujarat, too, the AAP made inroads within the final meeting election, successful 5 seats with a vote share of 14 %, whereas the Congress registered a slide, settling with 17 seats and 27 % votes. In Goa, the AAP gained two seats within the 2022 state polls.
Congress chief Mukul Wasnik, who heads the occasion’s alliance committee, made the announcement at a press convention in Delhi that was additionally attended by AAP leaders Sandeep Pathak, Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj. Instantly after the announcement although, there was a word of dissonance from the Congress over the Bharuch seat going to AAP.
“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. #bharuchkibeti (sic),” Mumtaz Patel, daughter of late Congress chief and Gandhi household confidant Ahmed Patel, posted on X.
Within the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had gained all seven seats in Delhi. Gujarat’s Bharuch, which was held by Ahmed Patel between 1977 and 1989, and Bhavnagar constituencies additionally went to the BJP’s kitty, as did Kurukshetra in Haryana.
In Delhi, the Congress had completed second in 5 seats in 2019, whereas the AAP was the runner up in two seats — south and northwest — as the 2 events fought individually after a breakdown in alliance talks over the Congress’ refusal to half with seats in states past Delhi.
This time round, the Congress was extra accommodating with the AAP, which has considerably expanded its footprint over the previous 5 years. Even then, the talks hit many bumps, with the AAP making its displeasure public many instances, together with earlier this month when it claimed it was “tired” of “no progress” in the direction of reaching a deal.
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The Bharuch seat
The Bharuch Lok Sabha seat emerged as a serious irritant as Ahmed Patel’s youngsters — daughter Mumtaz and son Faisal — put strain on the Congress excessive command to not half with it. Actually, the announcement of seat sharing needed to be postponed by a day because the Patel household stored lobbying for the seat, which has been with the BJP since 1989.
“If the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat is allotted to the AAP party under the alliance in the next Lok Sabha elections, neither I nor the conscientious workers of the Congress party will support the candidate of the AAP party,” Faisal posted on X on Friday.
He additionally created a flutter with one other publish, the place he thanked Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for “listening” to him. “By supporting us, I and my fellow Bharuch Congress workers have been honored. I promise you that I will live up to your faith by winning the Bharuch Lok Sabha,” he posted.
AAP sources mentioned following Faisal’s posts, the Congress despatched a message, saying it was “trying to sort out some issues and requested some more time”. The AAP, in the meantime, insisted that its Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava, already introduced because the occasion’s candidate from Bharuch, was primed to grab the seat from the BJP on account of his “mass appeal, particularly among the tribals who have a large presence in the area”.
Earlier this week, the Congress and the Samajwadi Occasion (SP) additionally stitched an alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Whereas the SP and different INDIA allies will contest 63 seats within the state, the Congress will subject candidates in 17.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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