Lok Sabha Elections / AAP party eyes not only on Delhi-Punjab but also on other states, brainstorming with Congress today

Lok Sabha Elections: Congress is busy in making a formula with the allies of 'INDIA' alliance on seat sharing for the Lok Sabha elections. After the meeting with RJD leaders regarding Bihar, Congress leaders will hold talks with Aam Aadmi Party on Monday for seat sharing in Delhi and Punjab. Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak from Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi government ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi will participate in the meeting with the five-member committee of Congress led by Mukul Wasnik on seat-sharing. During this time, there is to be talk on seat sharing between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party on 20 seats of Delhi and Punjab, but due to the way Arvind Kejriwal has declared his candidate on one seat of Gujarat, now it remains to be seen whether both the parties will agree. What is the formula for seat sharing?

Sandeep Pathak has said that not only Delhi, today there will be discussion on all those states where Aam Aadmi Party has elected representatives and organizations. It is not easy to resolve the issue of seat sharing between Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, because Aam Aadmi Party has dominance in both the states. Aam Aadmi Party has wrested power in both the states from the hands of Congress. Due to this, political disputes continue between the two parties. Despite this, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have joined hands to compete with BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and now efforts are being made to reach a consensus by meeting together for seat sharing. In such a situation, everyone's eyes are on which seats will go to the account of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party and which will not?

Congress has done its homework

Congress has tried to understand the pulse of its state unit leaders by meeting them before holding talks with the INDIA alliance allies. Salman Khurshid, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel are included in the five-member Congress committee formed under the leadership of Mukul Wasnik regarding seat-sharing. The leaders of the Congress Committee have prepared the homework of seat sharing after meeting with the state organization of their party, the report of which was also submitted to Mallikarjun Kharge. Only after this, the Congress high command has authorized this committee to share seats with the party of INDIA block.

This committee of Congress has now started a series of talks with the allies of INDIA alliance regarding different states. In this series, Congress leaders are meeting with Aam Aadmi Party regarding Delhi and Punjab. Congress leader Salman Khurshid says that meetings with various parties will continue. In the meeting, we are first presenting our understanding about the seats there and then asking them for their assessment. On Monday we will hold a meeting with the Aam Aadmi Party. He said that good talks are going on all around on seat sharing.

Seat sharing in Delhi-Punjab

Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are part of the opposition alliance formed to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Aam Aadmi Party currently has dominance in both Delhi and Punjab, because it is in power in both the states. There are 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. BJP has held all the seven seats of Delhi twice, whereas if we look at the 13 seats of Punjab, in 2019, Congress had won 8, Akali Dal 2, BJP 2 and Aam Aadmi Party had won one seat. The political situation has changed after Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Punjab in 2022, due to which there is a dilemma between the two parties regarding seat sharing.

Both Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are confident of their respective victory in Punjab in 2024 and were refusing to form an alliance with each other. However, after internal discussions, both the parties have now agreed to contest the elections together, due to which formal talks will be held on seat sharing. In such a situation, everyone's eyes are on the seats between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party to see who will contest on how many seats.

What will be the seat formula in Delhi?

In Delhi, Congress is to hold talks with Aam Aadmi Party regarding seat sharing. There are 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, talks could not be reached between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party due to only one seat, because Aam Aadmi Party wanted to contest on 5 seats while Congress was demanding 3 seats. This time Congress would like to contest elections on at least 2 to three seats, but Aam Aadmi Party can leave only one to two seats. In such a situation, it has to be seen how many seats out of seven in Delhi does Aam Aadmi Party contest and how many seats does it leave for Congress. If sources are to be believed, a 5-2 formula can be formed, in which Aam Aadmi Party can contest five seats and Congress can contest two seats.

What will happen to the 13 seats of Punjab?

There are total 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. Arvind Kejriwal had recently asked the people of Punjab for 13 out of 13 Lok Sabha seats. After this statement of CM Kejriwal, there is a question on how seat sharing will happen in Punjab. Not only this, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party are also attacking each other in Punjab. In such a situation, the path of seat sharing is not easy. That is why the meeting between Aam Aadmi Party and Congress on Monday is going to be very important. Congress does not want to give up its seats won in 2019, whereas Aam Aadmi Party says that after 2022, the political situation has changed and the situation of Congress is not the same as before. There can be a 7-6 seat sharing formula between Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, in which 7 seats will be given to Congress and 6 seats to Aam Aadmi Party.

What will be the matter on Gujarat also?

Aam Aadmi Party convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, even before any formula on seat sharing with Congress was decided, held a rally in Netrang, Gujarat on Sunday and declared his candidate for one seat. Kejriwal said that Aam Aadmi Party will also contest the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat. Aam Aadmi Party MLA Chaitra Vasava will be the candidate from Bharuch Lok Sabha seat. Chaitra Vasava is an MLA from Dediapada, Gujarat. Bharuch Lok Sabha seat has been held by BJP for the last three decades. BJP is completely in control of all the 26 seats of Gujarat for two consecutive times and has set the target of clean sweep for the third time also.

Will Congress and Aam Aadmi Party contest elections together in Gujarat like Delhi and Punjab or will they try their luck separately? Aam Aadmi Party had given a big blow to Congress in the 2022 assembly elections and due to the way it has started fielding candidates in the Lok Sabha elections too, it is clear that the party will try its luck once again. In such a situation, in the meeting to be held on Monday between Aam Aadmi Party leaders and Congress leaders regarding seat sharing, not only Delhi and Punjab but also seat sharing of Gujarat and other states can be discussed. In such a situation, it remains to be seen whether Congress will leave seats for Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat or not?