Haryana Assembly Elections 2024: Will Proposed Alliance Between Congress and AAP Fall Through? What Somnath Bharti Said?

There has been no formal alliance between Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming Haryana Assembly Elections in 2024. While Congress has formed an election alliance with the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, their efforts to form a similar alliance with AAP in Haryana have not yet come to fruition. 

However, talks between the two parties have reached an advanced stage, AAP leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with the potential alliance. This discontent is becoming more evident and vocal, with AAP MLA Somnath Bharti openly voicing his concerns.

Somnath Bharti's Objections

Somnath Bharti has raised several questions about the potential alliance with Congress on social media platform X. In his post, Bharti reminded the party leadership of a similar alliance in Delhi during the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. 

Bharti pointed out that during those elections, AAP's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal actively campaigned for all three Congress candidates in Delhi. Moreover, senior AAP leaders and cabinet ministers from the Kejriwal government also supported the Congress candidates. However, Bharti highlighted that AAP candidates, including himself, did not receive reciprocal support from Congress leaders in Delhi.

Bharti further criticized the conduct of Delhi Congress leaders during the Lok Sabha elections. He mentioned that the Delhi Congress chief, Sardar Arvinder Singh Lovely, and several other Congress leaders switched to the BJP midway through the elections, leaving the alliance in a difficult position.

Discontent Over Lok Sabha Election Conduct

Bharti also expressed his displeasure with the actions of senior Congress leaders during the Lok Sabha elections. He noted that prominent Congress leader Ajay Maken had even refused to meet him. Additionally, local Congress leaders like Jitendra Kochar allegedly worked against the alliance between Congress and AAP during the elections. 

According to Bharti, Kochar sought votes for the BJP candidate in exchange for money. Furthermore, Bharti pointed out that Rahul Gandhi did not actively campaign to consolidate Congress votes in favor of AAP in his parliamentary constituency, nor did Priyanka Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge organize any events in support of the alliance.

Call for AAP to Contest Alone in Haryana

Given these grievances, Somnath Bharti has advocated for AAP to contest the Haryana Assembly Elections independently, without any alliance with Congress. He argues that AAP supporters do not favor such "selfish alliances." 

Bharti suggests that AAP should not only contest elections on its own in Haryana but also in Punjab and Delhi. He believes that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is losing ground in Haryana and that internal conflicts are plaguing the Congress party. 

With Haryana being the home state of Arvind Kejriwal, Bharti proposes that AAP should contest all 90 assembly seats independently to provide the state with its first non-BJP and non-Congress government.

The debate within AAP regarding alliances reflects broader concerns about the party's strategy and its potential impact on the political landscape in Haryana. As the talks between Congress and AAP continue, it remains to be seen whether they will find common ground or if AAP will heed Bharti's call to go it alone.