Chandigarh: Congress-AAP mayoral poll alliance on verge of split
Chandigarh, February 14
The alliance between the city Congress and the local unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the recent mayoral elections is likely to be broken soon.
Dismayed by the recent AAP decision of announcing to contest the city Lok Sabha seat and holding protests without taking the Congress along, the latter is no mood to keep the alliance intact even for the civic body elections.
AAP should’ve supported us: Lucky
We polled more votes than AAP in the Chandigarh constituency during the last two Lok Sabha elections. AAP should have supported us in the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat fight against BJP. — HS Lucky, president, City Congress
Always took Cong along: Ahluwalia
We always took the Congress along whether it was holding a protest or any other mayoral poll-related development. It was already clear that the mayoral poll tie-up has no connection with the LS poll. — Dr SS Ahluwalia, Co-incharge, City AAP
Sources said Congress councillors held a meeting yesterday and they were of the view to not go ahead with the alliance. The city unit of the party has conveyed the same to its high command and are awaiting a final nod to sever ties. In case the mayoral poll is held again, the Congress will either boycott or contest the election, but will not support AAP.
When contacted, HS Lucky, president, city Congress, said, “We polled much more votes than AAP in the Chandigarh constituency during the last two Lok Sabha elections. AAP should have supported us in the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat fight against the BJP.” The Congress leader said the AAP held a number of protests, but did not consult or take the alliance partner along.
“They are going their own way. They even filed cases in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court only in connection with the mayor’s election and not for the elections to the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, which our candidates were contesting. We finally had to move the High Court on our own for the mayor deputies’ elections. Under such circumstances, why should we support them?”, asked a senior party leader.
However, Dr SS Ahluwalia, co-incharge, city AAP, said all was well between the two parties. “Nothing of this sort is in my knowledge. We have always taken the Congress along whether it was holding a protest or any other mayoral poll-related development. Besides, it was already clear that the mayoral poll alliance has no connection with the LS election.”
They had come together under the banner of the INDI alliance against the ruling BJP for the January 30 mayoral elections, but recently started the process to field separate candidates from the city for the Lok Sabha elections. The two parties had earlier maintained that the alliance was only for mayoral elections.
BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar had defeated INDI alliance candidate Kuldeep Dhalor Tita of AAP, who was fielded as part of an alliance with the Congress, to win the post of mayor in the January 30 elections. In this poll, Sonkar had got 16 votes while Kumar polled 12. Eight votes were declared invalid. As per the arrangement, the Congress had fielded its candidates for the posts of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor.
