Haryana Assembly Elections 2024: After extensive discussions, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are poised to form an alliance for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls. The Congress has confirmed that talks with AAP are ongoing, though they have stated that nothing is finalized yet. However, sources close to the negotiations said that both parties have reached a preliminary agreement to join forces for the elections scheduled for October 5.
AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has welcomed reports that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is interested in a partnership with the Arvind Kejriwal-led party for the Haryana elections. NDTV also reported that seat-sharing discussions will be conducted by Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha of AAP and KC Venugopal of Congress, with meetings planned for either tonight or tomorrow.
AICC general secretary Deepak Babaria said, “Our goal is to defeat the BJP and prevent vote splitting.” Regarding whether Congress will field Vinesh Phogat in the elections, Babaria stated, “You will have clarity by tomorrow.” It was reported that Rahul Gandhi expressed interest in forming an alliance with AAP during a meeting of the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) on Monday.
Previously, Haryana Congress leaders were resistant to an alliance with AAP. Jairam Ramesh had noted in July that there was no ‘janbandhan’ (alliance) with AAP in Punjab, and indicated that a similar arrangement might not occur in Haryana. He referenced the limited cooperation in the Lok Sabha elections, where Congress and AAP contested 10 seats with Congress winning five and AAP none.
Earlier this year, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had stated that his party would contest all 90 assembly seats in Haryana independently. Despite this, recent developments suggest a shift towards collaboration.
The Congress CEC met on Monday and finalized the names of 34 candidates for the Haryana assembly elections. Voting will take place on October 5, with the results to be counted on October 8.
