Sandeep Dikshit, Ajay Maken team up to challenge AAP

Initially, the Congress high command was hesitant to escalate tensions with AAP, given the broader opposition alliance

New Delhi: Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dikshit, two Congress leaders who have long had rivalries within the party, have now united with a common goal, to challenge the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Their newfound alliance aims to send a positive message to Congress cadres and build momentum ahead of the polls. The key driver behind this partnership is their shared opposition to Arvind Kejriwal, whose rise in Delhi politics has come at the expense of the Congress.

Both Maken and Dikshit have criticised Kejriwal’s government, accusing him of prioritising populist measures and publicity stunts over effective governance.

Initially, the Congress high command was hesitant to escalate tensions with AAP, given the broader opposition alliance, which includes both Congress and AAP. However, mounting frustrations within the I.N.D.I.A bloc have shifted Congress’ approach.
According to a party insider, the tipping point came when Rahul Gandhi intervened to prevent Maken from holding a press conference that would have accused Kejriwal of being “anti-national.” Gandhi took this step at the request of I.N.D.I.A bloc partners, including Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, and Uddhav Thackeray, who urged Congress to avoid direct confrontation with AAP. Yet, Congress leaders felt that these allies should have also distanced themselves from Kejriwal, leaving Congress to recalibrate its stance.

As a result, the party has become more aggressive in targeting AAP. A political analyst explained, “While momentum was building for Congress, the situation took a turn when Maken’s press conference was called off, even though the party was trying to show unity with its allies. However, AAP’s subsequent criticism of Congress has forced the party to rethink its approach.”

According to party insiders, Congress is focusing on around 20 key Assembly seats, where they believe they can either perform well or undermine AAP’s chances of winning.

A Congress leader said, “In the last election, we had more than 10,000 votes in only 10 seats, but this time, we expect our vote share to increase significantly. We are actively engaging with Dalit and Muslim voters.”

According to a Congress spokesperson in Delhi, “The power struggle within the party will continue after the elections are over. Maken will try to reassert himself in Delhi and try to push Dikshit aside. For now, both leaders are united in their goal of targeting Kejriwal, believing that doing so together will yield the best results for the party in the upcoming elections.”