In a decisive move, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has ruled out any potential alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls, citing the Congress’s underwhelming performance in Haryana as a significant factor. The announcement follows a breakdown in seat-sharing negotiations between the two parties, with AAP feeling snubbed by Congress during talks.
The Congress, which was expected to make a comeback in Haryana after a decade in opposition, managed to secure only 37 seats in the assembly, falling short of expectations. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) achieved a remarkable victory, winning 48 seats—the party’s best-ever performance in the state. AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar attributed the Congress’s failure to “overconfidence,” suggesting that this attitude hindered their ability to form a strong coalition.
“The AAP will have no alliance with the Congress in Delhi. The Congress didn’t accommodate the Samajwadi Party and the AAP in Haryana despite being given more seats in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi during the Lok Sabha polls,” Kakkar stated in an interview with India Today. This sentiment underscores AAP’s frustration with Congress’s approach, which has now led to the party deciding to contest the Delhi Assembly elections independently.
The AAP’s decision to go solo in the Haryana polls—where it contested 88 out of 90 seats—proved disastrous, as the party failed to secure a single seat. The lack of a fruitful alliance and the subsequent electoral loss have prompted AAP to reassess its strategy moving forward, particularly in the context of the forthcoming Delhi elections.
As political dynamics shift in the region, the AAP’s stance indicates a growing rift between the two parties, raising questions about the future of opposition unity in the face of the BJP’s stronghold in Haryana. With the Delhi Assembly elections on the horizon, AAP now faces the challenge of galvanizing support independently while grappling with the implications of the Congress’s recent electoral struggles.
