The anticipated alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections on October 5 has encountered a significant hurdle. Sources indicate that seat-sharing negotiations between the two parties are on the brink of collapse.
AAP sources revealed on Friday that the party is preparing to contest the election independently in 50 seats. If no agreement is reached by Sunday, AAP will be forced to release its list of candidates. A source stated, “Many leaders from the BJP and Congress are expected to join AAP. The party might release the first list by Sunday,” adding that “talks are hanging by a thread but haven’t ended.”
Congress in-charge for Haryana, Deepak Babaria, acknowledged to reporters that there has been minimal progress in the discussions. He attributed this lack of advancement to his involvement in the party’s central election committee meeting and the finalization of its initial list of candidates for the state. He stated that “talks would carry on, but there is a stalemate as of now.” The Congress released its first list of 32 candidates on Friday.
According to AAP sources, the party has requested 10 seats in the alliance, while the Congress has offered only five. A senior source within AAP’s Haryana unit told The Hindu that the party’s demand was based on their alliance with the Congress during the recent Lok Sabha elections in the state, where AAP contested the Kurukshetra seat. The source indicated that AAP was willing to accept five assembly seats of their choice, but the Congress has shown no signs of compromise.
AAP believes that a failure to reach an agreement would significantly benefit the BJP. “We can harm the Congress in at least 40 seats if the pact does not work out. It will eventually benefit the BJP,” a source stated.
AAP is seeking to contest seats along the Haryana-Punjab border, including Gulha, Pehowa, Kalayat, Jind, Tohana, Ratia, and Rania. Additionally, they are vying for two seats on the Delhi-Haryana border – Ballabgarh and Sohana. AAP’s Haryana chief, Sushil Gupta, is eager to contest from Jind, while senior vice-president Anurag Dhanda is aiming for the Kalayat seat.
In contrast, the Congress is proposing Gurugram, Tohana, and Jind as potential seats for the alliance.
The talks reportedly initiated after Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi advocated for an alliance to consolidate votes against the BJP. However, prominent state Congress leaders, including Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja, have publicly opposed an alliance with AAP. A senior Congress leader revealed that the state unit was initially against the alliance, believing they could win on their own. However, a panel was formed after Mr. Gandhi’s suggestion, prioritizing the unity of the INDIA bloc.
Earlier on Friday, AAP leader Raghav Chadha expressed optimism about the possibility of an alliance. “We are doing everything possible in that direction,” he told the media.
The potential breakdown of this alliance could significantly impact the outcome of the Haryana Assembly elections. With the BJP potentially benefiting from the disarray within the opposition, the upcoming election promises to be a tightly contested battle.
