The Congress high command is learnt to have decided to hold a meeting with the Punjab CLP leaders, Partap Singh Bajwa and the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), Amrinder Singh Raja Warring to discuss the possibility of alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Besides All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, and party’s general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal among others will attend the meeting.
A senior Punjab Congress leader said, “Though Congress leaders from other states have also been asked to be present at the meeting, Punjab leaders are expected to hold separate talks amid opposition from within the party to the alliance with AAP.”
The meeting is particularly important in the wake of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s softening stance on the alliance with INDIA bloc partners in Punjab. Despite the AICC chief’s declaration that victory was crucial for the party, a top Punjab leader said some leaders were doubtful about a clear victory on most seats.
Earlier, on December 26, a meeting was held between the political affairs committee of Punjab with the Central leadership to gather Punjab-specific inputs.
Even though state officials called the coalition suicidal and spoke bluntly during the meeting on December 26, some party members are in favour of the alliance as they believe it would increase their chances of winning should the BJP and SAD ally.
Some of the party leaders are demanding at least eight of the total 13 seats that include the seats of six sitting MPs – Manish Tewari from Anandpur Sahib, GS Aujla from Amritsar, Dr Amar Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohammed Sadiq from Fardikot, JS Gill from Khadoor Sahib and Ravneet Singh Bittu from Ludhiana.