New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has said he will “certainly contest” from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk seat in the Lok Sabha irrespective of whether there is an alliance between his party and AAP or not.
Mr Sibal had won twice from Chandni Chowk in 2004 and 2009 before losing to BJP leader Harsh Vardhan in 2014.
Sources said that the BJP leadership has already finalised Mr Vardhan’s name for the Chandni Chowk seat. Mr Vardhan, however, said it was for the party to decide from which seat he would contest the Parliamentary polls.
When asked about his views whether there should be an alliance between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, Mr Sibal said: “That is for the party to decide. There are two views within the party. But I will certainly contest the Chandni Chowk seat, alliance or no alliance.”
The 70-year-old leader, who has held various important portfolios as a Union minister under the UPA government, is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh. He was elected to the Upper House in 2016.
While former Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken is in favour of an alliance with AAP, his successor and three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit has been against any such alliance.
Mr Maken, who opposed the alliance with AAP till he was the Delhi Congress chief, said if the two parties did not join hands, it would help BJP sweep all the seven seats in Delhi.
