AAP and Congress Alliance for Haryana Elections Still Uncertain

No final decision has been made regarding an alliance between AAP and Congress for the Haryana Assembly elections. Talks are underway, but AAP demands 10 seats while Congress offers seven. Both parties aim for unity and positive negotiations continue, emphasizing a win-win outcome for both sides.

No conclusive decision has been reached on the alliance with Congress for the October 5 Haryana Assembly elections, sources in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) revealed on Sunday.

The nomination filing deadline is set for September 12. An AAP source indicated that discussions are ongoing but yet to yield a final decision. Earlier, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha mentioned that both Congress and AAP are striving to forge an alliance while setting aside individual ambitions.

Chadha noted that although consensus on the alliance has not been achieved, the talks are heading in a 'positive' direction, and a favorable outcome is anticipated. However, he emphasized that AAP would not go forward with the alliance unless it assures a 'win-win situation' for both parties.

The negotiations are progressing in a constructive atmosphere, with both parties working towards contesting the elections together while prioritizing the interests of Haryana and setting aside individual party aspirations. Chadha stated that it is premature to detail the seat-sharing arrangement. While AAP demands 10 seats, Congress is offering seven. Chadha remained non-committal about the specifics but assured that a decision would be made before September 12.

Both Congress and AAP, partners in the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), had entered a seat-sharing agreement for the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Haryana, and Gujarat. In Haryana, AAP previously had only one candidate, Sushil Gupta, who lost to BJP's Naveen Jindal. Gupta recently stated that AAP is prepared to contest on all the 90 assembly seats in Haryana independently if needed. Previously, Congress and AAP contested the Lok Sabha polls independently in Punjab.

(With inputs from agencies.)