Congress Finalizes Seat Sharing Deal With AAP For Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Goa In Boost For INDIA Bloc

In a big boost for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), the Congress today neared a seat-sharing deal with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, Haryana, Goa and Gujarat. The deal came a day after Congress and Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party finalized seat sharing for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha polls. In Uttar Pradesh, the SP will contest 63 seats while the Congress will challenge the BJP on 17 seats. This also comes days after the Supreme Court declared the AAP-Congress candidate as the winner of the Chandigarh Mayoral polls.

AAP 4 : Congress 3 Deal In Delhi

As per Zee News TV report, the AAP will contest four of the seven seats in Delhi and Congress will contest the remaining three. AAP is likely to contest South Delhi, North West Delhi, West Delhi and New Delhi while Congress will contest Chandani Chowk, North East Delhi and East Delhi. The BJP had won all 7 seats in the last elections.

Congress 9 : AAP 1 in Haryana

Of the 10 seats in Haryana, the Congress is likely to Contest nine seats while it will give one of the four Delhi-bordering seats to AAP. There are four Haryana Lok Sabah seats bordering Delhi - Gurugram, Sonipat, Faridabad and Rohtak. Since Rohtak is considered a stronghold of the Hooda (Bhupinder Hooda) family, the Congress may give one of these three seats to AAP -Gurugram, Sonipat, Faridabad. The BJP had wiped out Congress during the 2019 parliamentary polls winning all 10 seats.

Congress 24 : AAP 2 In Gujarat

Gujarat has a total of 24 Lok Sabha seats and reportedly Congress has agreed to share two seats with AAP. One of these seats is Bharuch while the name of the second seat is yet to be finalized. In the 2019 polls, the BJP had won all 26 seats in Gujarat. 

In Goa, there are two Lok Sabha seats and the AAP has already fielded a candidate for the South Goa constituency after it nominated Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas from the seat.

Late Boost For INDIA Bloc

The Congress-led INDIA bloc recently suffered two big setbacks recently after Janata Dal-United in Bihar and Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh joined hands with the BJP-led NDA. It was being speculated that a delay in the seat-sharing deal by Congress would lead to further disintegration of the INDIA bloc. But, with Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entering the last phase, the Congress moved swiftly to finalize the seat-sharing deal in states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana while it has already reached a consensus in Maharashtra and has a better understanding with the RJD in Bihar. This will give much-needed confidence to the INDIA bloc partners ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.