AAP and Congress are partners in the Indian Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)
New Delhi:
AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said talks with the Congress for an alliance in the national capital for the Lok Sabha elections are in the final stages and the alliance will be announced soon.
Answering questions from journalists at a press conference, Mr Kejriwal rejected the possibility of AAP reconsidering its decision to contest parliamentary elections independently in Punjab.
AAP and Congress are partners in the Indian Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and are discussing the seat-sharing formula in Delhi and other states.
Asked about the prospects of AAP’s alliance with Congress in Delhi, Mr Kejriwal said several rounds of discussions have taken place and things are in the final stages.
“The alliance with them (Congress) will be announced very soon,” he said.
He told reporters that several rounds of discussions have taken place for other states also and the talks are in the final stages.
AAP had earlier said it was in talks with the India Bloc for an agreement ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi and Goa.
When Mr Kejriwal was asked whether his party would reconsider its decision to contest elections alone in Punjab, he replied, “Don’t worry, this (fighting independently) is a winning strategy.”
AAP national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak had recently said that the party has demanded eight out of 26 Lok Sabha seats from the Congress in Gujarat.
He said AAP won five seats in Gujarat in the last assembly elections with a total of 13 per cent votes and claimed eight Lok Sabha seats in the state for the upcoming elections, while offering the remaining 18 seats to the Congress.
He had also offered Congress one of the eight Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, saying it did not even deserve it based on its past election track record.
Congress currently has zero Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Delhi.
AAP has so far unilaterally announced its candidates for two seats each in Gujarat and Assam and one seat in Goa.
Pathak had said that if the decision on seat sharing in Delhi is not taken soon, his party will announce its candidates.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
