Cong, AAP drive hard bargain on seat sharing

Congress member Mukul Wasnik-led national alliance committee initiated talks with AAP on Monday. At the outset, Congress red flagged AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s unilateral declaration that his party would field Chaitar Vasava from Bharuch Lok Sabha seat, just a day before the crucial meeting. AAP was represented by national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj in the meeting.

According to sources, the parties tried to work out a seat-sharing formula. While Congress wanted to restrict talks to an agreement on Delhi and Punjab, AAP proposed a different term for further engagement. AAP suggested that if Congress wanted seats in AAP-ruled Delhi and Punjab, it should be willing to part with seats in Haryana and Gujarat. The two states where AAP sought seats have always witnessed bipolar contests between Congress and BJP. AAP has been trying to expand its footprint in the two states and would like to contest a clutch of Lok Sabha seats.

Sources said AAP’s formula was a surprise to Congress as it had expected to clinch at least a seat-sharing pact for Delhi. Congress’ Haryana unit is opposed to any tie-up with AAP. It sees the move as ceding space. AAP maintained that if Congress expected to get a share of the pie in AAP-ruled states, it should be “fair” in states where both the parties were in Opposition. A senior AAP leader said: “In both Haryana and Gujarat, Congress and AAP do not hold a single Lok Sabha seat and the states are BJP-run states. So, in a way we are on an even keel.” This formula was not acceptable to Congress, which feels that it is better placed than AAP in both Haryana and Gujarat. BJP holds all 10 seats in Haryana, 7 in Delhi and 26 in Gujarat.

In Punjab, Congress had won 8 of 13 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. After the landslide victory in Punjab assembly elections in 2022, AAP expects to corner most of the seats. While AAP does not want to rock the INDIA boat, it is expected to drive a tough bargain in Punjab.

The meeting lasted for about two-and-a-half-hours. Emerging out of the meeting, Wasnik said: “We have had a fruitful meeting. We will fight together to defeat BJP. We will meet again soon in the coming days to reach an understanding.”