NEW DELHI: Congress’ failed alliance with AAP in Haryana underscores its struggle to regain footing in Delhi ahead of next year’s elections.
Amidst the electioneering season with Assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir just a few days away, the much talked about alliance between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Haryana collapsed recently over differences on seat sharing issues and others. Rahul Gandhi who is the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and the former President of the grand old party, wanted to have an alliance with AAP in Haryana. But the state leadership there was hesitant and unhappy with any such alliance with AAP and there were regular statements coming from the top brass of Haryana Congress unit indicating that the alliance would not be formed. Finally, when it collapsed this week, stakes are high for next year’s Assembly elections in Delhi, wherein Congress party has lost all its base.
Sources said that the only reason behind having an alliance with AAP in Haryana was due to the fact that the Congress wanted to win a few seats in Delhi Assembly elections, and having an alliance with AAP could have benefitted them.
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee Spokesperson and Media Department Vice Chairman Vikram Lohiya said that the Congress unit in Delhi is all set to contest on all 70 seats on its own and refuses any such alliance with AAP. He further said that AAP which came into the electoral politics on the name of bringing in a change and putting an end to corruption now itself is locked up due to the corruption scandals. In 2015, AAP won a landslide victory, securing 67 out of 70 seats, while the Congress party did not win a single seat. BJP won the remaining 3 seats. Similarly in 2020, AAP again achieved a significant victory, securing 62 out of 70 seats. BJP won the remaining eight seats, while Congress still did not win a single seat.
Under the banner of I.N.D.I.A. alliance, Congress and AAP had an alliance in Delhi during the Lok Sabha elections with former contesting three seats and the latter fought on the remaining four seats. But the duo lost all the seats with BJP bagging all the seven seats. A political analyst said that Congress has no space left in Delhi’s political circles with many of its leaders staying far away from the ground work, and have no connection with the common man and their issues. He further highlighted that the contest would be a bipolar one, while Congress is not even considered to be in the race. There are apprehensions that Congress is a sinking ship in Delhi’s Assembly elections and is unlikely to give any contest, neither to AAP nor to BJP.