“In Delhi, AAP will contest alone. We are capable of fighting the overconfident Congress and arrogant BJP alone.” Priyanka Kakkar.
The Aam Aadmi Party has confirmed that it will contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections on its own, tearing off past ties with the Congress party. This unprecedented and sad decision comes as there is still a lingering disagreement over the seat-sharing negotiations and dissatisfaction on AAP’s part with the Congress over the latter’s alliance behaviour in other states, particularly Haryana, where the alliance talks fell apart.
It was formally announced by AAP spokesperson Ms Priyanka Kakkar, who took an extremely critical stance against Congress, labelling them as overcocks who did not know what a proper political alliance was. Kakkar provided that even after there were no seats from the Congress party in the Delhi Assembly for almost ten years, in an arrangement for collaboration with AAP for seat sharing, Congress was reluctant. More surprising was that AAP had generously offered Congress to take three seats in the last Lok Sabha elections.
Kakkar also provided a specific example of Congress’s bad politics leading to both losing in Haryana, where neither party appropriately coordinated with the other during elections. After Congress and AAP failed to capitalise on their joint efforts in Haryana, the BJP regained power. Kakkar accused Congress of abandoning the political partners in crucial times, which, she argued, was a factor in its failures in various states, including the recent elections held in Haryana.
INDIA Bloc Tensions Rise Amid Seat-Sharing Disputes
“Congress thwarted all efforts by the INDIA bloc to ally Haryana and didn’t feel it necessary to take its ally along with them,” said Priyanka Kakkar.
The AAP and Congress are part of the larger opposition alliance, the INDIA bloc, formed to contest the BJP in the 2024 national elections. However, with internal conflicts like the one in Delhi getting in the way, they are lagging behind in uniting. The failure to forge a pre-poll alliance owing to seat-sharing differences truly indicates that the problem is far, much deeper within the INDIA bloc, with both AAP and Congress hard-pressed to find common ground.
What has kept AAP going despite its quota of troubles encountered in its alliance-building mission is the party’s belief that it has the fortitude to go alone, banking its arguments on itself being the best-performing party, and on the ground due, primarily, to its considerable outpouring of support in Delhi. Since 2015, AAP has been in power in the capital, firmly establishing itself territorially with developmental work on education, health, and anti-corruption—, the area most important to the masses. Kejriwal’s AAP positioned itself as one for handling that neighbouring paradigm of BJP and Congress, with the heft of the unbeatable ground campaign.
AAP Bets on Solo Success in 2025
Kejriwal’s AAP has already made strides outside Delhi, having won an important seat in Jammu and Kashmir’s recent elections, as Kakkar explained, due to the party’s focus on development-based politics. As part of his effort to develop the party’s base, he might soon spearhead a move to expand the party’s base and push momentum heading to the Delhi Assembly polls.
As AAP prepares for the Delhi Assembly elections, expected in early 2025, its leadership is keen to reinforce its reputation as a party capable of standing independently. Meanwhile, Congress will likely face scrutiny for its approach toward alliance-building, particularly within the opposition to the INDIA bloc. This election could serve as a crucial test for both parties, shaping the political dynamics in Delhi and potentially influencing future collaborations within the broader opposition alliance.
