As assembly elections approach in key states of Haryana and Delhi, the prospects of an alliance between the Indian National Congress and Aam Aadmi Party seem dim. In a recent statement, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh indicated there is little scope for such a partnership in these states.
Ramesh, who serves as a general secretary in the All India Congress Committee, told reporters that while the INDIA bloc consisting of like-minded opposition parties will continue coordinating in states like Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the situation appears different in Haryana and Delhi. The INDIA bloc, or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, fought the recent Lok Sabha elections together in many seats to maximize opposition strength against the ruling BJP.
For Haryana, Ramesh said Congress had allocated just one seat to AAP in the national polls but felt a pre-poll alliance was unlikely for the upcoming assembly elections. With regards to Delhi, he quoted AAP leaders themselves saying there would be no tie-up for those local polls either. AAP has firmly established itself as the main opposition to BJP in Delhi after winning a landslide victory in the 2015 assembly polls.
The comments underscore that despite coordinating at the national level, local dynamics and on-ground realities may differ for the opposition parties in individual states. With polls scheduled in the coming months, voters in Haryana and Delhi will witness a multi-party contest rather than opposition unity in the form of comprehensive pre-poll pacts between Congress and AAP. It remains to be seen if the ruling BJP can leverage this factor to its advantage.
