AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal denied the possibility of an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, reiterating that his party would contest independently.
Arvind Kejriwal said, 'Aam Aadmi Party will be fighting this election on its own strength in Delhi. There is no possibility of any alliance with Congress.' Kejriwal’s remarks came after the media reports said that AAP and Congress were in the final stages of seat-sharing talks in Delhi. It was stated that Congress was holding talks on contesting 15 seats in Delhi elections scheduled for February 2025.
The speculation over a partnership between the two INDIA bloc members gained momentum after the Congress postponed its ‘Nyay Chaupal’ event, which was to feature Rahul Gandhi. The event, meant to conclude the ‘Nyay Yatra’ organised by the Delhi Congress ahead of the elections, was called off, sparking rumours of a tactical adjustment between the two parties. While, Kejriwal met Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief and INDIA bloc leader Sharad Pawar on Tuesday evening, leading to speculations of a seat-sharing agreement.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party has released its second list of 20 candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls. In the new candidate list, the AAP dropped 16 sitting MLAs and moved two others, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. Earlier this month, the AAP leader had similarly denied the possibility of an alliance. AAP leaders have maintained that their tie-up with the Congress was to fight the BJP on the national level, but not in the Delhi Assembly elections 2025. While the two parties fought the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi as part of the alliance, there was no tie-up in Punjab.