Congress-AAP Alliance in Delhi on Cards For Lok Sabha Elections 2019? Rahul Gandhi Holds Discussion With Party Leaders

This is the fresh round of discussion held over possibility of alliance between the Congress and the AAP in Delhi for Lok Sabha Elections 2019, beginning April 11.

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday held a meeting with party leaders at his residence to discuss the possibility of an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the national capital for upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Delhi Congress president and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, All India Congress Committee General Secretary and in-charge of the party’s national capital unit PC Chacko, and some other senior leaders were present at the meeting.

As per sources quoted in a PTI report, the Delhi Congress leaders informed Gandhi about the party’s prospects in Delhi in this Lok Sabha polls and if the party goes for a pre-poll alliance with the AAP what effects it may have, given that Assembly elections in the national capital are scheduled in 2020.

The report also quotes a Congress leader as claiming that party’s alliance with the AAP is ‘almost certain’. The two sides now only need to sit together to fine-tune the seat-sharing formula, he said.

A senior Congress leader said the party high command was in favour of the alliance with the AAP if the grand old party was given New Delhi, Chandni Chowk and North West Delhi seats to contest. However, the AAP sources asserted that there will be no alliance unless the Congress agrees to fight the Lok Sabha polls jointly in Haryana and Chandigarh too, besides openly declaring its support to full statehood for Delhi.

Meanwhile, the report suggested that Sheila Dikshit, who has been opposed to tying up with the AAP in Delhi, is ‘upset’ with the pace in which the talks are underway. However, she has chosen to abide by what the party’s high command says.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 are scheduled to begin in seven phases on April 11. The polling on 7 seats in Delhi will be held on May 12. The counting of votes and the results will be announced on May 23.