E-Paper
Lok Sabha elections: AAP-Congress alliance vs BJP in Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Goa; seats sharing details revealed
AAP, Congress still discussing a potential arrangement in Assam. BJP calls alliance politics of opportunism.
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress on Saturday confirmed their alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The parties have shared their seat-sharing agreements for Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana.
Which seats will AAP, Congress contest?
In Gujarat, the Congress will contest in 24 seats, AAP in 2; in Haryana, the Congress will contest in 9 seats, AAP in one seat; in Delhi AAP will take the lead with four seats, the Congress 3 seats.
"Gujarat has 26 Lok Sabha seats. Congress will contest on 24. AAP will have its candidates on 2 seats - Bharuch and Bhavnagar," Congress general secretary and MP Mukul Wasnik said.
"Haryana has 10 Lok Sabha seats. Congress will contest on 9. AAP will have its candidates on 1 seat - in Kurukshetra," he added.
In Delhi, AAP will contest in New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi; the Congress will contest in Chandni Chowk, North East and North West seats.
Wasnik said after a long discussion, it was decided that the Congress will contest in the Chandigarh seat.
Also read: AAP, Congress to go solo in Punjab, says Kejriwal: ‘Mutual agreement, no bad blood’
In Goa, the Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats.
The two parties made no remarks about Punjab, where AAP formed a government in 2022 after dislodging the Congress.
Earlier this month, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal announced that his party will contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.
AAP and Congress, old rivals in Punjab and Delhi, contested the Chandigarh mayoral elections in alliance last month and won after the Supreme Court's intervention.
Also read: AAP offers Congress 1 seat in Delhi after 'doesn't deserve even one seat' attack
"Today, the situation that the country is going through - the manner in which the BJP Government is finishing all institutions one by one, the elections are being 'stolen' and Opposition leaders are being put in jail to win elections, the manner in which injustice is being done with farmers, the manner in which people of the country are suffering through unemployment and inflation...the country needs an honest and strong alternate," said AAP MP Sandeep Pathak after announcing the alliance.
Also read: AAP-Congress alliance: BJP reminds Arvind Kejriwal of his 2012 jail promise
"Keeping that in mind, casting aside our own political interests and keeping in mind the interest of the nation, we came together in this alliance. It is the country which is important, party is always secondary. This election will not be fought in the manner that Congress will contest from here and AAP will contest from there, INDIA will contest this election," he added.
The two parties are still discussing a potential arrangement in Assam.
The BJP has called the alliance politics of opportunism.
“There is a serious trust crisis between the Congress and AAP but despite that they are going to form an alliance is nothing but politics of opportunism," Delhi BJP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri told HT.
With inputs from Alok Mishra, ANI
