New Delhi: In a decisive move, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Haryana Chief Sushil Gupta confirmed on Monday that the party will field candidates in all 90 constituencies for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, ruling out any potential alliance with the Congress.
This announcement followed the release of AAP's first list of 20 candidates, which includes several contenders vying for seats already claimed by the Congress. Gupta indicated that a second list of candidates will be unveiled shortly.
“AAP has made its decision to contest all 90 seats on our own,” Gupta stated. “We have announced candidates for 20 seats and will release further details soon. Our organization is strong across the state, and there was significant internal support for this independent approach.” He added, “We waited patiently for an alliance, but after assessing the situation, we moved forward.”
The AAP's move comes amid stalled negotiations with the Congress, with whom discussions for an alliance had recently hit a snag. The two parties had previously considered joining forces to challenge the BJP, which has been dominant in Haryana’s political landscape. However, differences over seat-sharing proved insurmountable.
AAP's request for 10 seats was met with Congress's counter-offer of only seven, a discrepancy that arose partly from AAP's underperformance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where it failed to secure the Kurukshetra seat it contested. Additionally, AAP’s interest in constituencies within Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s stronghold further complicated negotiations.
Sources revealed that Hooda had expressed reluctance to cede seats in his home turf to AAP, which contributed to the breakdown in talks. Hooda had previously mentioned to NDTV that he had not engaged in discussions with AAP’s state leadership and that the alliance was not seen as viable in Haryana’s current political context.
With the Haryana Assembly election set for October 5 and results scheduled for October 8, the AAP's independent campaign strategy highlights its confidence in its ability to challenge the BJP and Congress on its own terms.