New Delhi: After the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held their first formal meeting on Monday to discuss seat-sharing arrangements under the INDIA bloc for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, AAP leaders said that a final decision on seat-sharing will be taken soon, whereas the BJP alleged that there’s confusion in the alliance.
The meeting comes amid rumours of discontent between the state units of the Congress and the AAP in Delhi and Punjab. AAP leader Atishi and other party leaders were present at the meeting held at Congress leader and convener of the Congress National Alliance Committee, Mukul Wasnik’s residence in the national capital to discuss the seat-sharing formula.
After the meeting, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj told ANI that they are positive that seats in the INDIA bloc will be finalised soon. “We are absolutely positive that seats in the INDIA bloc will be finalised soon. Even when a party decides its ticket, there are many contenders for every seat. Even in a party, there is a problem in candidate selection as to whom to give tickets and whom not to. In such a situation, when there are two or three parties, there will definitely be problems. But this can be solved. Soon, all the parties will be seen coming together on a common platform,” the Delhi Minister told ANI.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a dig at the meeting of AAP and Congress on seat sharing and said that there is some confusion in the INDIA bloc, adding that soon both parties will say, ‘Ek tha INDI gathbandhan’.
“There is some kind of confusion in the INDIA bloc. Today they are talking about seat sharing. There is confusion because they hold hands during the photo but they are not connected by heart. Bhagwant Mann once said ‘Ek thi Congress’, to which Pawan Khera said ‘Ek tha joker’. Very soon, both of them will say, ‘Ek tha INDI gathbandhan’,” the BJP leader told ANI.
Hitting out at the INDIA bloc, Poonawalla said that the alliance is filled with contradictions, which is why they haven’t finalised their agenda and logo till now.
“The INDI alliance is filled with contradictions, which is why, till now, they haven’t finalised their agenda. They even have not decided on their logo. AAP has been formed by finishing Congress from Punjab and Delhi. Will it be possible for the AAP to give the tickets to those whom they have finished?” the BJP leader added. As the countdown to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls has begun, the INDIA bloc has begun its seat-sharing talks in earnest.
The allocation of seats becomes pivotal for Congress, especially after recent electoral setbacks. Meanwhile, India’s political landscape is undergoing a significant transition as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw near. The INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) consortium is gearing up to challenge the established National Democratic Alliance.
The bloc is struggling to resolve key challenges, including finalising seat-sharing arrangements and, most importantly, deciding on a PM face, while the BJP has started executing strategies it laid out in 2023 to secure victory in general elections.