Congress, AAP seal Delhi, Haryana, Goa, Gujarat seat deal; to go solo in Punjab
Shubhadeep Choudhury & Samad Hoque
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 24
After Uttar Pradesh, the INDIA bloc has scripted its next success story in Delhi —the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday agreeed on a seat-sharing arrangement in the national capital. While AAP will contest for four Lok Sabha seats, the Congress will field candidates in three. The bloc also announced seat-sharing arrangements for Gujarat, Goa and Haryana.
The development comes close on the heels of the seat-sharing agreement reached between INDIA bloc constituents — Congress and Samajwadi Party — in Uttar Pradesh, which was announced earlier this week.
In a joint press conference held in New Delhi today, Congress leader Mukul Wasnik announced that AAP would contest for New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi seats, while the Congress would field candidates from Chandni Chowk, Northeast Delhi and Northwest Delhi seats.
In Gujarat, AAP would contest two seats — Bharuch and Bhavnagar — while the Congress would field candidates in the remaining 24. The Congress would contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa and the lone seat in Chandigarh. Wasnik also appealed to Congress workers of Bharuch to vote for the AAP candidate. In Haryana, the Congress would contest nine out of the 10 Lok Sabha seats, while AAP would field candidate from Kurukshetra. Wasnik said Congress workers in Delhi would ensure INDIA bloc candidates’ victory in all seven seats.
However, AAP and the Congress have mutually decided to fight on their own in the Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab. “Special circumstances exist in Punjab. In view of the challenges, AAP and the Congress have decided to fight the Lok Sabha polls separately in Punjab,” Wasnik said. On the occasion, AAP general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said the “country comes first and the party was secondary”.
Reacting to the development, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, “If the opportunist alliance between the AAP and the Congress even manages to survive its inherent contradictions, it would be the most bizarre political combination in every sense of the word. The curious part about this dysfunctional alliance is that they would be together in Delhi, but against each other in Punjab.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal has hailed the alliance. “The INDIA alliance has clear seat-sharing arrangements in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh. What is happening in the NDA though? Why no seat-sharing yet in Bihar? What about Maharashtra?” Venugopal posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Seat-sharing pact
- Delhi (7): AAP 4 (New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi & East Delhi); Cong 3 (Chandni Chowk, Northeast Delhi & Northwest Delhi)
- Gujarat (26): Congress 24; AAP 2
- Goa (2): Congress 2; AAP 0
Special circumstances in Punjab
Special circumstances exist in Punjab. In view of the challenges, AAP and the Congress have decided to fight the Lok Sabha elections separately in the state. — Mukul Wasnik, Congress leader
