Congress Seals 3-Seat Lok Sabha Deal With AAP In Delhi, Gets Bigger Share In Haryana, Gujarat; No Pact In Punjab

INDIA bloc partners– Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress– have finalised their seat-sharing agreement in Delhi, Haryana, Goa and Gujarat for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. In a joint statement, both parties said they have mutually decided to not contest the polls together in Punjab.

Addressing media in Delhi, AAP MP Sandeep Pathak said, “The way the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is destroying all institutions one by one, the way votes are being stolen and the way the citizens of this country are facing issues like inflation and unemployment, the country today needs an honest and strong option. Considering that and by keeping the country’s interests at the forefront, we have forged this alliance (AAP-Congress).”

Seat Sharing In Delhi

In Delhi, AAP will be contesting on four seats while Congress will field candidates in three constituencies, according to senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik.

“AAP will contest from New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi seats, while Congress candidates will fight Chandani Chowk, North East Delhi and North West Delhi constituencies,” said Wasnik.

In the previous two Lok Sabha elections– held in 2014 and 2019– the BJP had won all seven seats in Delhi, with a vote share exceeding 50 per cent.

“We will try to win all seven seats in Delhi this time,” Pathak said.

“The country needs an honest and strong alternate. Keeping that in mind, casting aside our own political interests and keeping in mind the interest of the nation, we came together in this alliance. It is the country which is important, party is always secondary. This election will not be fought in the manner that Congress will contest from here and AAP will contest from there, INDIA will contest this election,” he added.

On the seat-sharing deal with AAP, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said, “As a part of INDIA Alliance, we had said earlier too that we will follow the order of high command…We will have a positive result in the time to come.”

Seat Sharing In Gujarat

In Gujarat, Congress will contest 24 of the 26 Lok Sabha seats, while AAP will field candidates on 2 seats–Bharuch and Bhavnagar.

Reacting to the development, Congress leader and daughter of veteran party leader late Ahmed Patel, Mumtaz Patel said she shares the ‘disappointment’ of the party cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance.

“Deeply apologize to our district cadre for not being able to secure the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat in alliance. I share your disappointment. Together, we will regroup to make Congress stronger. We won’t let Ahmed Patel’s 45 years of Legacy go in vain. #bharuchkibeti,” she said in a post on X.

During an earlier press conference, AAP general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak disclosed the candidates for Bharuch and Bhavnagar as Chaitar Vasva and Umeshbhai Makwana, respectively.

Pathak mentioned that the Congress insisted on contesting from Bharuch and

stressed that winnability, not “parivarwad” (dynasty), should be the criterion for

defeating the BJP.

Seat Sharing In Haryana

In Haryana, Congress bagged nine out of 10 seats, while AAP got one–Kurukshetra seat– in its kitty.

“The Congress will also contest the lone seat in Chandigarh,” Wasnik said.

The Goa Deal

In Goa, the Congress will field candidates on both Lok Sabha seats.

No Pact In Punjab

“In Punjab, we have mutually decided that we will not be together,” said Sandeep Pathak.

INDIA Bloc Deals In Other States

Meanwhile, Congress and the Samajwadi Party also finalised their seat-sharing deal in Uttar Pradesh earlier this week. As part of the agreement, Congress will field candidates on 17 Lok Sabha seats while the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and other alliance partners will get the remaining 63 seats.

The INDIA bloc partners in Maharashtra are also expected to reach a deal soon.  Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday said that discussions between the Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar are underway and a final decision will be announced shortly.