Lok Sabha elections 2024: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday acknowledged that the agreement on seat-sharing arrangements in Delhi between the AAP and the Congress for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections should have been finalised earlier.
Kejriwal's statement coincides with the uncertainty surrounding the ongoing seat-sharing discussions between AAP and Congress in Delhi ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Tensions have risen among the parties of the INDIA bloc after AAP proposed offering Congress only one of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi.
Here's what Kejriwal said on seat-sharing
"Let's wait and see what unfolds in the next two to three days. The process has been delayed, and it would have been preferable to conclude it earlier," said Kejriwal when questioned about the seat allocation arrangement in Delhi with the Congress.
It is pertinent to mention that the Opposition's bloc, consisting of over 25 parties, have stumbled to the seat-sharing issue with several parties expressing their grievance regarding the delay in formulating a strategy to take on the BJP.
Delhi Congress President on seat-sharing
Meanwhile, Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely informed that he is unaware of whether the Congress will form an alliance with AAP in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha election as he is not directly participating in the discussions. "I am not directly involved in the decision-making regarding the alliance. A committee headed by Mukul Wasnik is handling the matter, so I will refrain from commenting on it," Mr. Lovely told reporters.
AAP, Congress leaders meet
A crucial meeting was held between the AAP and the Congress party leaders on Tuesday to deliberate on a seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024, said sources.
As per the sources, the potential final seat-sharing arrangement could be as follows:
- Delhi: 5 seats for AAP, 2 seats for Congress
- Haryana: 9 seats for Congress, 1 seat for AAP
- Assam: 1 seat (unspecified)
- Gujarat: 2 to 3 seats (unspecified)
Congress, Samajwadi Party alliance in UP
As the seat-sharing negotiations with AAP in Delhi remain uncertain, Congress' other ally in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, the Samajwadi Party, has reached an agreement for the alliance in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
On Wednesday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav announced that Congress would contest 17 seats in UP, while the Samajwadi Party and other allies would contest 63 seats. Additionally, Congress has extended an offer to the Samajwadi Party to contest the Khajuraho seat in Madhya Pradesh.
Also Read: Lok Sabha elections 2024: AAP, Congress leaders meet to discuss seat-sharing
