In what is seen a huge blow to the Opposition’s INDIA bloc, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will contest all the Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.
The central leadership of AAP and Congress were reportedly in talks with each other for a possible alliance in the state. However, the state unit of both INDIA alliance partners were of the different views and wanted to go solo in Punjab, a state where the BJP is not traditionally strong.
“Two years back, you gave us blessings. You gave 92 out of 117 seats to us (in Assembly elections), you created history in Punjab. I have come to you with folded hands, asking for one more blessing. Lok Sabha elections will be held in two months. For Lok Sabha elections, Punjab has 13 seats and one from Chandigarh – a total of 14 seats. In the next 10-15 days, AAP will declare its candidates in all of these 14 seats. You have to make AAP sweep all these 14 seats with a majority,” he said at an event on Saturday.
The Delhi chief minister, who is also the national convener of the AAP, is the latest INDIA alliance partner to have announced to go solo in Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also declared that she will not form an alliance with the Congress and arch-rival CPI-M for the Lok Sabha elections and contest all the seats in the state.
She also said that her previous offer of two seats to the Congress has also expired after the grand old party outrightly rejected it.
In Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) has also announced its first list of sixteen candidates. The Congress, which was hoping to have an alliance with the SP said that it was not a unilateral decision and would not help the prospects of INDIA alliance.