Realpolitik weds Congress with AAP in Haryana

Congress and AAP to forge alliance for Haryana poll

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, September 4: The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are now set for an alliance for the Haryana Assembly elections. The AAP has vowed to go extra length to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The AAP leader Manish Sisodia confirmed on Wednesday that the alliance will be formalised upon the release of the Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, from the jail. The AAP over the years has built considerable base in areas adjoining Delhi.

The Congress and the AAP have held parleys for seat adjustments. The Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi is being seen as the new glue for the party with the AAP.

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Singhvi was the lawyer for Sisodia in his bail pleas in courts. Singhvi is also the lawyer for Kejriwal.

The Congress is keen to strike an alliance with the AAP to avoid split of the non-BJP vote base. The Congress is admitting the AAP footprints in Haryana politics.

The Congress is also hopeful that an alliance with the AAP may be an insurance against faction-fighting in the party. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former state chief minister, holds sway in the Congress in Haryana.

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The AAP is willing to contest a lesser number of seats, said sources. They added that the AAP could settle for a few seats in the state.

The AAP is keen to get a few members elected in the Haryana Assembly, sources said. The AAP had showed its electoral might in the local body polls in Haryana last year.

Haryana is setting out for multi-cornered contest. The Congress and the BJP are the main rivals. But Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) are other two contestants.

Besides, the Bahujan Samaj Party has thrown weight behind the INLD. The Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’ has aligned with the JJP.

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The Congress is hopeful that the alliance with the AAP will deliver a big margin defeat to the BJP. The Congress is wary of repeat of last Assembly election verdict when the BJP had struck a post-poll alliance with the JJP to form government in Haryana.

The AAP is also eying Haryana for expansion. Kejriwal had campaigned during the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

His wife, Sunita Kejriwal, has also been campaigning in Haryana. With top leadership of the AAP having been sent to jail in Delhi excise scam, the Kejriwal-led outfit is keen for a revenge against the BJP.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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