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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), expressed confidence on Wednesday that his party would secure victories in all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming 2024 elections in the state. Mann’s statement comes amidst ongoing dialogues between senior leaders of the AAP and Congress to finalize seat sharing in Punjab and Delhi.
Mann boldly declared, “It will be 13-0 (in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections). The AAP will win all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.”
Last year witnessed hesitancy from the Delhi and Punjab units of the Congress and AAP to form an alliance against the BJP. Both parties opted to contest the elections independently. However, recent developments suggest renewed efforts for collaboration. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge last week.
In a significant breakthrough, the AAP and Congress agreed on Monday to jointly contest the mayoral elections in Chandigarh on January 18. AAP’s Kuldeep Kumar Tita will vie for the mayor’s post, while Congress’s Gurpreet Singh Gabi and Nirmala Devi will compete for the positions of senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
Despite this local agreement, Mann’s statement implies that discussions between AAP and Congress regarding seat distribution at the national level are yet to reach an advanced stage.
The AAP and Congress maintain a fierce rivalry in both Punjab and Delhi, with the AAP displacing the Congress from power in both states. The Chandigarh agreement is seen as an initial step towards a broader partnership in Punjab.
In the 35-member Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the BJP holds 14 councillors, with an additional ex-officio member MP having voting rights. The AAP possesses 13 councillors, while the Congress has seven. The Shiromani Akali Dal is represented by one councillor in the municipal corporation.
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