New Delhi: In a significant development ahead of next months Haryana Assembly elections, the Congress party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have reached a principal understanding to contest the polls together, according to media reports. The next crucial step involves dividing the 90 Assembly seats between the two parties, a process expected to be complex.The allocation of the 90 Assembly seats is the next critical step in the process, and it may prove to be a challenging task. To address this, a key meeting has been scheduled between Raghav Chadha, the Rajya Sabha MP from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and KC Venugopal, the General Secretary of the Congress party. This meeting is expected to take place either tonight or tomorrow, with the objective of reaching a mutually agreeable seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties, according to sources told NDTV. Potential for extended allianceWhile the immediate focus is on the Haryana elections, there is speculation about whether this alliance will extend to the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. The AAP, led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has won every Delhi election since 2013 but now faces a challenging environment with Kejriwal currently jailed in a liquor policy case.The timing of the alliance announcement coincides with Rahul Gandhis suggestion for the INDIA bloc members to continue their pre-election partnership. Gandhi believes maintaining this coalition is crucial to avoid vote splitting and to strengthen their position against the BJP.HARYANA ELECTIONS #SUPER EXCLUSIVE:#BREAKING: CONGRESS-AAP Alliance in Haryana on Cards.📌Haryana Congress Hiccups over AAP alliance #RahulGandhi Enters the Arena Asks KC Venugopal to hold talks with AAP.—Raghav Chadda Meets KC Venugopal.!#HaryanaAssemblyElections2024 pic.twitter.com/Nryd8gXosl— Gururaj Anjan (@Anjan94150697) September 3, 20242024 Haryana Lok Sabha electionsIn the 2024 Haryana Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and AAP contested separately, with Congress winning five out of ten seats allocated to them and AAP losing its lone seat in Kurukshetra to BJPs Naveen Jindal by approximately 29,000 votes. Combined, the Congress and AAP secured 21.19% and 1.11% of the vote respectively, falling short of the BJPs 36.5%. Despite this, their combined vote share was seen as beneficial for the INDIA bloc, which managed to secure five seats and prevent a BJP clean sweep.Congress, AAP negotiate seat-sharingThe Congress party is currently in a stronger negotiating position for the seat-sharing talks, having won a significant number of seats previously. Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has reportedly expressed reluctance to concede more than four seats to the AAP, while the AAP is seeking up to 20 seats.In response, AAP has publicly supported the alliance, with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh emphasizing the need to defeat the BJP. The AAP had initially planned to contest all 90 Haryana seats independently but is now adjusting its strategy in light of the new alliance.The Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) recently met to finalize candidates for 49 of the 90 seats, considering re-nominating many incumbent MLAs. Notable new candidates include Rajya Sabha MPs Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala, and potentially high-profile entrant wrestler Vineet Phogat.
