‘Alliance on 33 Lok Sabha seats or none’: AAP rejects Congress’ offer

The Aam Aadmi Party is capable of defeating both the BJP and the Congress in Delhi and an alliance is possible with the Congress only when it will be done on 33 Lok Sabha seats, said AAP leader Gopal Rai Friday.

Earlier in the day, the Congress announced that it will fight the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi alone, but maintained that it is still willing to have an alliance with the AAP provided that the tie-up is restricted only to the national capital.

The AAP, in turn, wanted such an alliance to extend to Haryana and Punjab as well.

"We want alliance on all 33 seats with the Congress and not three seats in Delhi. We are capable of defeating the BJP and the Congress on our own in Delhi. If an alliance has to be there, it has to be on 33 seats," Rai said.

Another AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the party was even ready to make the Congress its senior partner in Haryana, but now it has moved ahead.

However, sources said there was still a slim chance of an alliance as the AAP might offer a 5:2 seat sharing formula in Delhi, where the party would contest from five seats and the Congress from two seats.

Congress' in-charge for Delhi P C Chacko said the Congress will go alone in Delhi since the AAP has taken an "impractical stand".

He, however, said, "We are still ready (for alliance) if the AAP is willing to have an alliance in Delhi alone. We want to fight the BJP together."