Congress-AAP seal seat deal for Delhi
All seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital are currently held by the BJP
NEW DELHI: After protracted parleys, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are finally on the same page over the seat-sharing pact in Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana. Both INDIA bloc parties said on Thursday that the details will be made public soon.
Talks between the two parties are in final stages and the seat-sharing formula in Delhi is likely to be announced soon, sources said, adding that the AAP will field candidates from four Lok Sabha constituencies -- the South Delhi, West Delhi, North West Delhi and New Delhi seats. The Congress will contest from three seats -- the Chandni Chowk, East Delhi and North East Delhi constituencies.
All seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital are currently held by the BJP.
"The alliance between AAP and the Congress in Delhi is on the verge of finalisation. The two parties may make an official announcement in a day or two," senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi said in a press conference.
Earlier on Wednesday, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal had said talks over the alliance were delayed and hinted at fresh developments in the next couple of days.
When asked about the probable candidates from AAP in Delhi, the top sources in the party said, “From West Delhi AAP is considering former MP Mahabal Mishra, while from South Delhi, the party may field sitting MLA from Chhatarpur Kartar Singh Tanwar.”
“It is also being discussed that former MP and Congress leader Udit Raj may be fielded on the AAP’s symbol from the North West Delhi constituency, which is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes,” sources said.
The AAP sources added, “It is still not clear who will contest from the New Delhi constituency, but one of the sitting Cabinet minister of Delhi will be fielded from this seat."
The Congress sources hinted that the party's Delhi unit chief Arvinder Singh Lovely will be fielded from the North East seat. From the Chandni Chowk constituency, former three-time MP J.P. Aggarwal or the party's women wing chief Alka Lamba may be fielded. For East Delhi, former two-time MP Sandeep Dikshit is the top choice.
Regarding Haryana, the AAP sources said that out of the 10 seats, the AAP will contest only one seat. In Gujarat, the AAP is likely to field candidates in two of the 26 constituencies.
In Haryana, the AAP is likely to get either Gurugram or Faridabad Lok Sabha seats, while seats falling in the AAP's kitty in Gujarat include Bharuch and Bhavnagar.
Former senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel's son and daughter were also contenders for the Bharuch seat. Giving Bharuch to the AAP didn’t go down well with Ahmed Patel's son Faisal, who, in a social media post in Gujarati, said that if the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat is allotted to the AAP, neither he nor the "conscientious workers" of the Congress will support the AAP candidate.
Earlier this month, after a political affairs committee meeting, AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak had declared AAP's Gujarat MLA Chaitar Vasava as the party's candidate from the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat and another MLA Umeshbhai Makwana from the Bhavnagar seat.
The AAP and the Congress have already announced that they will go solo in Punjab.