Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: With the Haryana Assembly election nomination deadline fast approaching, the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) met for the third consecutive day on Saturday to negotiate an alliance. Both parties are working against the clock to finalize an agreement, but key sticking points remain, particularly around seat-sharing.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha met with Congress Haryana in-charge Deepak Babaria to continue discussions. However, Babaria said, “Nothing has been finalized as of now; it will be done by tomorrow or the day after.” The final date for filing nominations is September 12, leaving little time for a formal deal to be struck.
The major point of contention revolves around specific constituencies that AAP is seeking. Congress leaders argue that conceding these constituencies could turn some of their winnable seats into potential losses, which would ultimately benefit the BJP. AAP sources confirmed that the negotiations are not only about the number of seats but also about the quality of the constituencies.
Despite the impasse, both parties remain hopeful. “Ummeed hai, umeed pe duniya kayam hai…(the world lives on hope),” said Chadha, expressing optimism. A senior Congress leader, however, reiterated that the party is reluctant to give up more than 3-4 seats for AAP. Congress also pointed to the example of the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency, where an AAP-Congress alliance resulted in a defeat.
As the negotiations continue, AAP has signaled its readiness to contest all 90 seats in Haryana if necessary. Sandeep Pathak, a top strategist for the party, stated, “We are fully prepared and waiting for the party’s order. Once we get the ‘go,’ we will announce everything. Those who underestimate us will regret it in the future.”
Both sides are racing against the nomination deadline, hoping to finalize their alliance and present a united front for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections.
