New Delhi : INDIA bloc ally, Aam Aadmi Party, is unlikely to agree on an alliance with Congress in the forthcoming Delhi Assembly polls. The Arvind Kejriwal-led political outfit is not keen on entering into a pre-poll pact with the grand old party, despite contesting the recent Lok Sabha polls as partners in the national capital.
In a clear indication that AAP was not looking forward for an ally in the Delhi Assembly polls, which are scheduled to take place early next year, AAP’s senior leader Raghav Chadha told Tehelka.com, “I think that AAP, under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal is completely capable of defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi. We do not require an alliance in the national capital, as we have successfully defeated the BJP in three polls consecutively. AAP is fully capable of defeating BJP on its strength in Delhi.”
Comparing AAP with strong regional outfits like Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Trinamool Congress in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively, the AAP MP said that “like these regional parties, AAP is also capable of defeating the BJP on its strength in Delhi.”
Analyzing the outcome from the Haryana Assembly polls, he said “There are another category of states in the country where the Congress may not entirely on its own be able to defeat the BJP in a one-on-one fight. We saw that in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and in Chhattisgarh last year. In Haryana also, we saw something similar. If the Congress were to take its alliance partners along, the results would have been in the favour of the INDIA bloc.”
He, however, exuded confidence about the importance and unity of the INDIA bloc and his party’s continued support for it. “We are very much a part of the INDIA bloc. We wish to remain part of the alliance,” he added.
The statement by the senior AAP leader is being considered as a major setback for the Congress which wants to desperately revive its political fortunes in the national capital. The Congress had been hoping for a pre-poll alliance with the AAP in an effort to regain lost ground in a city which was once a citadel of the grand old party, under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit. However, with AAP planning a payback, in the wake of similar snub by Congress in recent Haryana polls, the chances of Congress’ revival are seemingly very bleak.
Many in the Congress now believe that the party made a huge mistake by agreeing to Jat strongman Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s whim of not forming a pre-poll alliance with the AAP in Haryana Assembly polls.
Meanwhile, Chadha’s statement is being read into by the BJP with a lot of caution. The saffron unit, however, acknowledges that non formation of a pre-poll alliance between AAP and Congress is likely to improve BJP’s chances in the forthcoming elections. “It is too early to read into the impact of the non-formation of an alliance between AAP and Congress, but as the vote is expected to be split three ways this is likely to improve the chances of BJP candidates,” sources pointed out.
The 70-member Delhi Assembly is scheduled to go for polls early next year. AAP had secured 62 out of these seats in the 2020 Assembly elections.
