Suspense continues over AAP-Cong alliance
NEW DELHI: The mystery of alliance between AAP and Congress in Delhi has become the question of the hour as the day of polling is just 42 days away. While the AAP maintained its stand that party is not in any alliance talks with the Congress, the Delhi Pradesh Congress submitted their views to party president Rahul Gandhi who would take the final decision on the matter. "We have met Rahul Gandhi. Sheila Dikshit is not that important a leader," said Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal at Visakhapatnam on Monday where he went to support Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. However, party sources confirmed that the Delhi CM who is also the national convenor of AAP has not indicated any new meeting between Rahul Gandhi and himself.
After the opposition rally in Delhi held by AAP, all the leaders of the opposition met at NCP chief Sharad Pawar's house where both Rahul and Delhi CM were present and had a talk. Days after that meeting CM Kejriwal clarified that the Congress has nearly ruled out the possibility of alliance. Later, AAP announced candidates for all the seven seats and maintained that there would be no alliance with the Congress in Delhi. Meanwhile, a major division inside the Delhi Pradesh Congress came into the surface while a large number of leaders voiced for the AAP-Congress alliance, DPCC Chief former CM Sheila Dikshit maintained her stance of no such alliance should take place.
Reportedly the Congress high command did a mobile app based survey in Delhi where the voters should tell the Congress if they want an alliance or not. According to sources in that response, a major section of voters opted AAP-Congress alliance. Thereafter the DPCC left the whole matter to the Congress President. Meanwhile, sources in both the parties hinted various back-channel talks between the two parties. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday stepped into help Rahul Gandhi's Congress and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party work out an alliance in the national capital for the Lok Sabha elections.
Amid such discussions, the AAP kept a formula of 5-2 to the Congress which means five seats would be fought by AAP and two by Congress. The idea was reportedly rejected by the Congress. On the other hand, the Delhi CM observed that in Delhi, AAP will fight alone but in Haryana and Punjab the party is keen to make an alliance with Congress.
According to sources the last discussed situation between both parties are Congress would get three seats in Delhi and AAP would fight from four seats. However, the Congress is willing to give only one seat in Haryana and no seats in Punjab to AAP, which the later has reportedly not taken as a good gesture. AAP sources said that the Congress is eager to take New Delhi, Chandni Chowk and North East Delhi whereas the AAP is not ready to give North East as party spokesperson and senior leader Dilip Pandey is AAP's candidate from the constituency.
Amid all these confusions the Delhi voters were kept in a dilemma, neither the alliance has been finalised nor the BJP announced its list but the AAP has started the
full-fledged campaign. According to sources, the confusion would have lingered till Congress chief Rahul Gandhi give a call for alliance and AAP accepts the offer.
