‘Will go by party decision’, says Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit on alliance with AAP

Delhi Congress Chief Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday reiterated that she is not in favour of an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but the former chief minister added that she has decided to go with the decision to the party leadership and will go by whatever they say. "I have left it to the Congress high command and whatever they decide I will go by it. I believe the Congress is in a position to fight with the workers on its own," Dikshit told NDTV.

The development comes after Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar decided to intervene to help the Congress and AAP form an alliance in the city for ensuing Lok Sabha Election 2019.

Earlier, Sheila called an urgent meeting with the three working presidents of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee. The party leaders of the Delhi unit, however, maintained that there was no talk of an alliance during the meeting.

"An urgent meeting was called and it was decided that the selection of candidates should begin. Around 70 applications have been received by the party from Delhi Congress leaders for seven seats in Delhi," a senior party leader said.

The meeting with the three working presidents Devender Yadav, Haroon Yusuf and Rajesh Lilothia, at Dikshit's residence, comes in the backdrop of Congress mulling its options to align with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi in its bid to defeat the BJP in Lok Sabha elections, days after having unanimously decided to go it alone in Delhi.

The leaders wrote to Congress chief against the alliance, sources said. In a letter written last week, they protested a recent phone survey to gauge workers' mood on the alliance.

"Dikshit and the working presidents have urged the Congress chief not to have an alliance with the AAP, saying it will harm the party in the long run," said a Delhi Congress leader.

The leader said they have also expressed reservation over the phone survey, being carried out through Shakti app of the party, which was undertaken by PC Chacko, the AICC in-charge of Delhi Congress.