AAP asks Cong for rethink on alliance
NEW DELHI: After hard bargaining by both sides over the last three months, alliance talks between the AAP and the Congress on Friday reached the last step of either yes or no. The AAP has asked Congress to rethink on its stand about Delhi and Haryana pacts, said AAP leaders. AAP has also postponed filing of three nominations scheduled for Saturday. "Today also we have again given a chance, people of the country want that. We have given Congress the last chance to think it over, let's see what happens," AAP Delhi incharge Gopal
Rai said.
Meanwhile, AAP candidates for Chandni Chowk, North West and East Delhi LS seats, earlier scheduled to file nominations on Saturday, will now file nominations on Monday. Congress has offered four seats to the AAP as part of the alliance and has opted for the Chandni Chowk, North West Delhi and the New Delhi seats for itself.
Earlier, AAP's Sanjay Singh on Wednesday met Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for alliance talks in Haryana in a seat-sharing formula of 6:3:1, sources said. However, the sources said JJP chief Dushyant Chautala is not ready to form an alliance with Congress. "From day one, we had clarified that we could not join hands with the Congress whose hollow and corrupt policies affected the country…I want to clarify that there is no question of forming an alliance with the Congress and we have held no talks with the Congress in this matter," he said on Thursday.
However, the sources said that the AAP took the initiative to convince Chautala. Sources said that AAP has now put forward a fresh offer for Congress. According to sources, AAP agreed to 7:2:1 formula in Haryana instead of 6:3:1, and 4:3 in Delhi. However, party leaders said that Congress has been refusing for a tie-up in Haryana but AAP will still make the final push.
The AAP announced in March all its seven candidates for the national capital, where polling will be held on May 12. It fielded Pankaj Gupta from Chandni Chowk, Dilip Pandey from North East Delhi, Atishi from East Delhi, Brajesh Goel from New Delhi, Gugan Singh from North West Delhi and Raghav Chadha from
South Delhi.
Balbir Singh Jakhar was the last name announced by the party for the West Delhi constituency. However, Jakhar became the first among the seven to file his nomination on Thursday.
