No alliance with AAP in Haryana election, says Congress’s Kumari Selja

Ruling out an alliance with the AAP in the Haryana Assembly elections, Congress leader Kumari Selja said her party was strong in the state and was confident of winning an “excellent majority” on its own.

In an interaction with PTI editors, the Lok Sabha MP dismissed the possibility of a hung 90-member House.

Selja asserted that the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) had lost a lot of ground in Haryana and was "breaking up" and does not have a chance in the upcoming electoral battle.

JJP support base erodes

"The JJP has lost ground. This time you will not find many takers for the JJP. Even last time, most of the candidates who won were from the Congress,” she said.

“Today, it is already breaking up. Most of their MLAs have already left them. I don't see much of a chance for the JJP in this election," the AICC general secretary and former Haryana Congress president said.

She also dismissed the INLD-BSP alliance, pointing out that both parties had lost a lot of ground in the state.

No tie-up with AAP

Asked whether there was a possibility of the Congress forging an alliance in Haryana with its INDIA bloc partner Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Selja said: "We are partners (at the national level) but if you remember it was decided that in every state, they (partners) can decide on their own.

“The AAP has gone on record first of the mark that they will not have an alliance in the Vidhan Sabha polls.

"I do think that the Congress is strong on its own and we will fight on our own," she asserted.

Voters against BJP

Selja asserted that the people of Haryana were "totally against" the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"We are fighting on 90 seats and, for us, every seat is important. We can go as high as possible," she said when asked to predict the number of seats the Congress would get.

"The BJP pan-Haryana did not have much support on ground. I don't like to get personal but I don't think their chief minister had political experience so that also went against them.

Election issues in Haryana

"Even within their party (BJP), there were a lot of pulls and pressures, there is a total disconnect and they are going to pay for that," Selja said.

Talking about election issues in Haryana, Selja said a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) and withdrawal of the Agnipath military recruitment scheme were major demands in the state.

She said unemployment was one of the biggest issues in Haryana. And so was corruption.

Rules out defections after election

Selja also ruled out the possibility of MLAs switching sides after the elections, asserting that people were choosing the Congress this time.

Elections to the Haryana Assembly will be held on October 1 and the results will be declared on October 4.