The alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress in Haryana has reportedly hit a significant roadblock over seat-sharing negotiations. According to a report by India Today TV, the Congress leaders in Haryana are unwilling to concede too many seats to AAP, leading to growing tensions between the two parties.
AAP sources have indicated that if Congress insists on maintaining the current seat-sharing formula, an alliance will not be formed for the October 5 Assembly elections.
Sources went on to say that if Congress does not agree to allocate more seats to AAP, the latter may decide to contest the Haryana Assembly elections from 50 constituencies on its own.
The two parties — both part of the INDIA bloc that united the opposition for the Lok Sabha election and delivered surprisingly strong results — reached a roadblock as sources said that many rebel Congress and BJP leaders are expected to fight on the AAP ticket.
Sources have also indicated that AAP will release its first list of candidates for the upcoming polls on Sunday.
According to sources, AAP is aiming to contest 5-7 seats under the alliance. The state has a 90-member assembly, where Congress won 31 seats and AAP failed to secure any in the previous state election.
Congress's reluctance to allocate more seats to AAP may reflect concerns about AAP's underwhelming performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. AAP contested only one seat and faced defeat, whereas Congress contested nine seats and secured five victories, thereby preventing a second consecutive clean sweep by the BJP.
The Haryana Assembly election will take place on October 5. Candidates must file their nominations by September 12.
The election date was moved from October 1 to October 5 by the Election Commission to respect the voting traditions of the Bishnoi community, which is an important group in three districts of the state.
