AAP to help Congress by pulling out of poll battle in MP, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh
The AAP has reportedly conveyed it to the Congress that its target is to ensure the BJP’s defeat at all costs
In a significant political development aimed at strengthening the INDIA alliance ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha elections, the AAP may put up only a token fight in the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh to ensure that the anti-BJP vote is not divided.
The AAP has reportedly conveyed to the Congress that its target is to ensure the BJP’s defeat at all costs, according to a report in the online news platform NewsDrum. Assembly elections to these states along with Telangana are likely to take place in November-December and these are being dubbed as semifinal ahead of the general elections in April-May next year.
Interestingly, the development comes amid simmering tension between AAP and Congress in Punjab in the aftermath of Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira’s arrest in a 2015 drugs case. Top leaders of both the parties in the state have come out in the open to say that there will be no alliance between them and they will contest on their own. Congress leaders like Partap Singh Bajwa in Punjab and Ajay Maken in Delhi are dead against having any tie-up with AAP, contending that they are trying to grab the Congress’ space in every state.
Sources said Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal has taken this decision to send out a message that the INDIA alliance is united and going strong despite serious differences in some of the states. With the Union government going after his close colleagues like Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, the AAP chief sees the BJP as their main rival.
It was also apparent during his campaign in poll-bound MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where he targeted the BJP and refrained from directly attacking the Congress. The AAP had been working in these three states for a long and even managed to set up its organisational structure there.
The AAP had last month announced its first list of 10 candidates each for MP and Chhattisgarh. It had also unveiled six guarantees if it came to power in Rajasthan. Kejriwal along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had also held rallies in these three states in recent months.
The AAP’s move is likely to lead to the consolidation of anti-BJP in favour of the Congress in these states which have witnessed a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress in the past. It may also silence those opposing the alliance between AAP and Congress in Punjab and Delhi.