Congress does not deserve even one seat in Delhi, says Sandeep Pathak of the AAP on discussions over seat sharing
As the seat-sharing negotiations within the INDIA bloc for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are still in progress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stated on Tuesday that it wishes to contest six seats in the national capital and has offered just one seat to the Congress.
Following a meeting of the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC), AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak addressed a press conference, expressing the party's stance. He mentioned that while, based on merit, the Congress does not deserve any seat in Delhi, the AAP is adhering to the 'dharma of alliance' and is offering them one seat.
Pathak stated, "...On merit basis, the Congress party does not deserve even a single seat in Delhi but keeping in mind the 'dharma of alliance,' we are offering them one seat in Delhi. We propose Congress party to fight on 1 seat and AAP on 6 seats..."
The AAP's Rajya Sabha MP emphasized that the party aims to contest six seats in Delhi during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls while allocating only one seat to the Congress. Additionally, the party urged the senior INDIA bloc ally to expedite the seat-sharing talks.
"In Delhi, the Congress party has zero seats in the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections. In the MCD elections, the Congress has won 9 seats out of 250," Pathak added.
The party also disclosed its candidates for two Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat and one in Goa. Venzy Viegas is set to contest from the South Goa seat, while Chaitar Vasava and Umesh Bhai Makwana will contest from Bharuch and Bhavnagar seats in Gujarat, respectively.
Pathak further revealed that the AAP has requested eight Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat (out of a total of 26) from the INDIA bloc, aligning with the party's vote share in the last assembly poll.
The Congress and AAP have engaged in discussions on seat-sharing arrangements within the INDIA bloc for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had previously ruled out an alliance with the Congress in Punjab, declaring that the party will independently contest all 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state and Chandigarh.
