AAP, Congress confirm alliance in Delhi, 4 states
The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have reached a seat-sharing pact for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Goa. In Delhi, the AAP will contest four of the seven Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress will vie for three, Congress General Secretary Mukul Wasnik said. The AAP will contest in New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi, and East Delhi, while Congress will battle for Chandani Chowk, North East Delhi, and North West Delhi.
Why does this story matter?
The agreement is a major boost for the opposition bloc, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), especially after the departure of its main architect, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. In the last few days, the Congress has been quickly finalizing previously stalled deals as the general election draws closer. This progress is in line with the goal of the INDIA bloc, which was formed to fight the Bhartiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Seat distribution details in Gujarat and Haryana
In Gujarat, the Congress will compete on 24 out of 26 Lok Sabha seats, with AAP candidates contesting two seats in Bharuch and Bhavnagar. In Haryana, the grand old party will contest nine seats, while the AAP will fight for the Kurukshetra seat. The Congress will also compete for the single seat in Chandigarh and the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa.
Formal seat-sharing announcement by Congress's Mukul Wasnik
No agreement in West Bengal
Both parties have, however, decided to go solo in Punjab and Assam as their state units declined to collaborate. In Assam, the AAP has already announced three candidates. Now, West Bengal remains a source of concern for the alliance, as CM Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) has said it will contest alone in the state. The Congress, meanwhile, has attempted to downplay the situation by claiming that "heated discussions" were taking place between the two parties to reach an agreement.
Congress to contest from 17 seats in Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has accepted the 17-seat offer by Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP). The Congress will contest 17 of the 80 seats; the rest, 63, will be for the SP and other INDIA alliance partners. Seat-sharing talks earlier stopped after Yadav stated he would not attend Rahul Gandhi's "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra" until the Congress finalized the deal. On Wednesday, however, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra intervened and spoke with Yadav over the phone over the matter.
