AAP making every possible effort for alliance with Congress

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmaker Raghav Chadha on Friday said the party is in talks with the Congress and “every possible effort is being made” for an alliance ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, even as the grand old party said a tie-up is “still under consideration”.

Both the parties had allied for the Lok Sabha polls in the state, Delhi and Gujarat earlier this year as part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

“Talks are going on. We are hopeful that an alliance will form in favour of Haryana and the country. Every possible effort is being made,” Chadha said.

The AAP leader’s remarks came as the two parties, which began holding talks on Tuesday, continued their discussions on Friday. People aware of the details earlier said the AAP has sought 10 out of 90 seats from the Congress but the grand old party is keen on offering only seven.

AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babari, said there is no development as of now. “I got calls from them but I was not able to attend those calls because of our own meetings. I will speak to them now. Every political party expresses their opinion, and tries to create pressure. I can’t say anything about the alliance right now. It is still under consideration,” he said.

His remarks came a day after a section of Congress leaders expressed reservations over a tie-up with the AAP for the Haryana elections.

Earlier, Babaria said other constituents of the INDIA bloc, such as the Communist Party of India (CPIM) and the Samajwadi Party, have also approached the grand old party to fight the Haryana assembly elections together.

In the Lok Sabha elections, the AAP failed to win the sole Kurukshetra seat it fought in Haryana under a pact with the Congress as part of the INDIA bloc. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party, however, saw a rise in its vote share since 2014, when it made its poll debut in the state.

The Congress, on the other hand, won five of the nine seats it contested in this year’s Lok Sabha elections. To be sure, AAP has never won any Lok Sabha or assembly seat in Haryana.

An AAP functionary said the talks for a possible alliance with the Congress for the Haryana elections are on the verge of collapse, with the Kejriwal-led outfit looking to contest solo on 50 seats.

“In Haryana, talks for an alliance with the Congress are on the verge of collapse. The AAP is preparing to contest on 50 seats. Several disgruntled leaders from the Congress and BJP in the state may also join AAP in the coming days,” the AAP functionary, who did not wish to be identified, said, without citing any reason behind the possible failure of talks.

The functionary added that the party may release its first list of candidates on Sunday.