After weeks of anticipation and disputes over the allotment of seats in the national capital ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, I.N.D.I.A bloc allies Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress revealed a collaborative agreement on Saturday for seat distribution across Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Goa.
The settlement between the reigning party in Delhi and grand old party revealed that Congress will vie for seats in 3 out of the 7 Lok Sabha constituencies in the national capital, while the AAP will nominate candidates for the remaining 4 seats.
On Saturday, at a joint press conference held by the top leaders of both the parties, Congress general secretary and MP Mukul Wasnik said his party will contest the Chandni Chowk, North East and North West seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
“As you are all aware, Delhi Lok Sabha has 7 seats. AAP will contest 4 seats–New Delhi, West Delhi, South Delhi and East Delhi–while Congress will contest 3–Chandni Chowk, North East and North West,” Wasnik said
This agreement will mark the first time since independence that the members of the Gandhi family will vote for another party in the New Delhi constituency, a seat the grand old party has set aside for the AAP.
In Gujarat, the Congress will compete for 24 out of 26 Lok Sabha seats, while the remaining 2 seats, Bharuch and Bhavnagar, will be contested by the AAP. “Of the 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat, the Congress will contest on 24 while the AAP will field candidates for Bharuch and Bhavnagar,” the Congress leader said.
In Haryana, the Congress will contest 8 of the 9 Lok Sabha seats while the AAP will contest the lone seat–Kurukshetra. “Of the 10 LS seats in Haryana, the Congress will fight on 9 and the AAP will contest one seat– Kurukshetra,” Wasnik said.
He further stated that the two parties have reached a decision whereby the Congress will contest for the esteemed Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. “After a long discussion on Chandigarh, the two parties decided that the Congress candidate will contest the seat,” he added.
As per the seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress will vie for both Lok Sabha seats in Goa. Notably, the AAP participated in the preceding Assembly elections in Goa but performed poorly. “It was further decided that Congress will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa,” he said.
