Congress: No AAP tieup in Punjab, Haryana

New Delhi: Putting all speculations to rest, the Congress on Sunday said it was not in talks with the AAP or any other party for alliance in Haryana and Punjab, and will soon declare its candidates for the two states. Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the party is yet to reach a decision on stitching an alliance with the AAP in the national capital.

On Saturday, an AAP leader said the party will firm up an alliance with the Congress in Delhi only if Rahul Gandhi’s party agrees to fight the Lok Sabha polls jointly in Haryana and Chandigarh too.

“There’s no talk on alliance with any party, including the AAP, either in Haryana or in Punjab. We are soon going to declare our candidates (for the two states),” Mr Surjewala told mediapersons.

“The party is yet to reach a decision on forging an alliance with the AAP in Delhi,” he added.   

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had on Saturday discussed the issue again with his party leaders from the city.

Delhi Congress president and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, AICC general secretary and in-charge of the party’s national capital unit P.C. Chacko and some other senior leaders were present at the meeting held in Mr Gandhi’s residence.

As another pre-condition for firming up an alliance, the AAP has asked the Congress to openly declare its support to full statehood for Delhi. The AAP has reportedly conveyed to the Congress that it would support the grand old party in Chandigarh if it gets to contest three seats in Haryana - Faridabad, Gurgaon and Karnal.

Although the AAP is pressing for 5:2 (five for AAP and two for Congress),  the Congress has demanded nothing less than three seats in Delhi. The AAP may concede to the Congress demand only if the party reciprocates to its demand in Haryana and Punjab. If the AAP-Congress tie up works out in Delhi, it will have serious implications in all the Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The saffron party too is eagerly awaiting the AAP-Cngress decision, so that it can finalise its candidates in Delhi. Only one seat which the BJP has almost finalized is for Union Minister Harsh Vardhan from Chandni Chowk.

A highly placed source said in Congress that its formula for seat sharing in Delhi is based on a 3:4 ratio, thast means three for Congress and four for AAP. This calculation has been arrived on the basis of seats won by the two parties in 2017 municipal elections. The AAP had won 49 wards while Congress could wrest control on only 31 wards  after securing 26 per cent and 21 per cent vote share respectively.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the AAP had polled 33 per cent votes while the Congress got only 15 per cent. Put together, the vote share of the AAPP and Congress was 48 per cent, just two per cent more than the BJPvote share of 46 per cent.