AAP says will announce Haryana candidates today if Congress tie-up not finalised
The discussions between the Congress and AAP on seat sharing for the Haryana assembly elections have been going on for over one week but have so far remained inconclusive
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Monday said the party is fully prepared to contest the Haryana assembly polls and has already “finalised the process of declaring candidates”. The remarks came hours after AAP Haryana president Sushil Gupta said the party will release the list of candidates on all 90 seats in the state by Monday evening if the AAP-Congress pre-poll alliance is not decided today.
“Sandeep Pathak (AAP national general secretary) and Sushil Gupta have already made it clear that we are fully prepared, and we have already finalised the process of declaring candidates. As soon as they get a nod from the party leadership or Arvind Kejriwal ji, they will make the announcement (of candidates) and will go into election. AAP is a national political party. We have strong organisation in Haryana,” said Sanjay Singh talking to reporters in Delhi on Monday afternoon.
The response of Congress leaders is awaited on the AAP leaders’ remarks.
On Monday morning, Sushil Gupta said, “We have not received the news of alliance from our high command. If we do not receive the news of alliance today, we will announce the candidates today evening.”
Discussions between the Congress and AAP on seat sharing for the Haryana assembly elections have been going on for over one week but have so far remained inconclusive. The top leaders from both the parties till Sunday evening said talks were progressing in a “positive” direction and that both parties were hopeful of a good outcome.
On Sunday, AAP leader Raghav Chadha said discussions are taking place in “good atmosphere” and “both parties intend to form the alliance by keeping aside their self-interests in the interest of Haryana”.
“The talks are happening in a positive atmosphere. Both parties are working towards contesting the elections together, prioritising unity and the demands of the people of Haryana, while setting aside individual party and candidate aspirations,” he said.
He, however, added that the AAP will not proceed with the alliance “if there is no win-win situation”
He also said that “ball by ball commentary cannot be done on the seat-sharing arrangement”. “Both the parties have the desire and hope to form an alliance. We will make a decision well before September 12, the last day of nomination,” he said.
The last date of nomination for the 90 seats of Haryana assembly is September 12.
Chadha’s remarks came hours after AAP MLA Somnath Bharti cautioned the party leadership against an alliance with the Congress.
In a post on X, Bharti said: “AAP must evaluate the effectiveness of a similar alliance formed in Delhi during the Lok Sabha elections. While Kejriwal did roadshows and senior AAP leaders and cabinet ministers campaigned for all three Congress candidates, the AAP candidates, including me, were not supported by the Delhi unit of Congress.”
A section of Haryana Congress leaders have also expressed reservations over a tie-up with the AAP for the elections.
The Congress and the AAP had allied for the Lok Sabha polls in Haryana, Delhi and Gujarat earlier this year as part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) under which AAP contested one of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana.
People aware of the development said the two sides are unable to come to a consensus on the number of seats.
Alliance talks between the two parties began on Tuesday, but no major breakthrough has been achieved even after several rounds of discussions.
“Initially AAP had demanded 10 seats which is too much for Congress to offer. Congress has offered only five-six seats to AAP which they are unwilling to accept. The Congress is not willing to give as many seats and the AAP is putting pressure that they should get more seats,” said a person aware of the developments.
On Saturday, AAP general secretary Sandeep Pathak said those underestimating the party “will repent in the future”.
Sanjay Singh said, “We do not have much time. (Pathak and Gupta) They are correct and justified. The people working for the organisation on the ground level will take a decision in consultation with national president Arvind Kejriwal and proceed further, we will support them. Now less time is left.”
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said an alliance between the Congress and the AAP will not make any difference for the ruling party in the state. Former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said: “This shows that they (AAP and Congress) have accepted their defeat, otherwise, why would they think of forming an alliance.”
Polling in Haryana will take place on October 5 while the votes will be counted on October 8.
The elections are likely to be fought on a host of issues ranging from anti-incumbency against the BJP government to discontent around the Agnipath recruitment scheme and the farmers’ protest. The wrestlers’ protest and caste fault lines are likely to be the other issues.