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Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Aam Aadmi Party to support SP-BSP alliance in 2019 polls
The party might also extend support to Congress candidates on seats where they are in a formidable position to defeat BJP candidates as compared to the Samajwadi Party –BSP alliance.
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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to support Samajwadi Party- BSP alliance candidates on seats where its candidates are not in fray in the lok sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.
The party might also extend support to Congress candidates on seats where they are in a formidable position to defeat BJP candidates as compared to the Samajwadi Party –BSP alliance.
However, all alliance talks between the AAP and Congress have failed in New Delhi and both will be contesting separately on all several lok sabha seats where the BJP will make the contest triangular.
But the party is yet to decide number of Parliamentary constituencies it will contest in Uttar Pradesh out of 80 where polls are schedules in seven phases.
However, it has decided its candidate for Saharanpur lok sabha seat in Western Uttar Pradesh. AAP’s local leader Yogesh Dahia will be contesting from this seat.
“We are yet to decide candidates for Uttar Pradesh for the lok sabha polls. Only Saharanpur candidate has been finalized,” said Vaibhav Maheshwari, state spokesperson, AAP.
Commenting on a scenario where AAP candidates are not in contest, Maheshwari said: “We will support SP-BSP alliance candidates.”
“On seats where Congress candidates are in a formidable position to defeat BJP candidates as compared to the SP-BSP alliance, the AAP will support Congress,” said Maheshwari.
Uttar Pradesh has proved to be a tough state for AAP to make inroads into and get political acceptability. The 2019 lok sabha poll will not be an exception.
In 2014 lok sabha polls, almost all AAP candidates had lost their deposit in Uttar Pradesh. Barring party’s national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had contested against Narendra Modi from Varanasi, no AAP candidate was able to leave a mark in 2014 lok sabha poll in Uttar Pradesh.
Modi, who was then PM candidate of the NDA, had polled 5,81,022 votes as compared to 2,09,238 of Kejriwal. Modi won by a huge margin of 3,81,784 votes.
It was in 2014 general elections that the AAP made a foray into electoral politics in Uttar Pradesh. But all its candidates failed to make even an impact in Lok Sabha polls.
The AAP leadership also did not contest 2017 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. However, the party had contested 2017 civic polls in the state where it was able secure victory on 45 municipal corporation and nagar palika seats across the state.
