There is a "desire, wish and hope for an alliance" on both sides, underscored Raghav Chadha amid a constant back-and-forth over seat-sharing talks between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with just days remaining before entries close for nomination for the October 5 Haryana polls.
The last date of filing nominations for the polls is September 12, and nomination papers can be withdrawn until September 12.
"I can only tell you that both the parties have a desire, a wish and hope for an alliance. The last date for nomination is 12th September. We will take a decision before 12. If we don't agree or if there is no win-win situation, we will leave it," Mr Chadha told reporters following a meeting with Congress in charge of the state.
The AAP leader stressed that he remains positive. Sources have said the Delhi-headquartered party wants to contest 10 of the state's 90 Assembly seats. The Congress, though, is unwilling to concede more than seven, pointing to its ally's performance in the Lok Sabha election.
"Talks are going on in a positive environment. Good discussions are going on. I am confident. I am hopeful that some good conclusion will definitely come out of the talks in the interest of Haryana, in the interest of the country, and in the interest of democracy. I cannot share the figures with you all," Mr Chadha said.
Deepak Babaria, Congress in charge of Haryana, too echoed the same sentiment, adding that it is only a matter of days.
"Congress has given me this responsibility, and this was my second or third meeting with Raghav Chadha in the last two days. We are exchanging the locations and numbers, and we hope that the results will come out in two days. It depends; if it will be a win-win situation for both Congress and AAP, then we will go into a coalition; I am trying for that. It may happen (changes in the names of already declared candidates)," Mr Babaria said.
The parties - part of the INDIA bloc that united the opposition for the general election and stopped BJP short from getting a majority - reached an 'in-principle deal on Wednesday.
Rahul Gandhi, now Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, nudged his party to carry on the alliance to defeat the BJP in Haryana, a heartland state where it has secured back-to-back wins in 2014 and 2019.
The BJP stumbled in the Lok Sabha polls, where it could hoover up only 5 out of 10 seats in Haryana. The AAP contested one seat and lost, while the Congress contested nine and won five, preventing a second successive clean sweep by the BJP.
Despite Mr Chadha's projected positivity, there are rumblings within the party over the alliance talks.
Its Delhi MLA Somnath Bharti on Saturday said that the party must contest all 90 seats on its own, which is in line with Arvind Kejriwal's similar statement in January. However, it has been eight months since Mr Kejriwal's "going solo" statement and much has changed on the ground.
Mr Bharti, a three-time MLA from Malviya Nagar in Delhi, cited the Congress-AAP alliance in Delhi during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year for the parties to go solo. The alliance lost 7-0 to BJP.
"Before AAP-Congress alliance is inked in Haryana, AAP must evaluate the effectiveness of similar alliance formed in Delhi during the Lok Sabha Election. While my national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal ji did roadshows for all three Congress candidates, senior leaders and cabinet ministers of AAP campaigned for all three Congress candidates, but AAP candidates, especially myself, were not supported at all, especially by Congress Delhi and local leaders," Mr Bharti posted on X.
Mr Chadha refused to be drawn into any controversy and maintained that talks are on.
"Whether it is a statement by a leader of another party, or a statement by a leader of my party, or a matter of an individual seat, I will not comment on any person, allegation or seat. Hopefully, soon we will all come back to the media and give you some good news," said the Rajya Sabha MP.
The AAP has been demanding at least one seat in Kurukshetra, say sources, adding that the party's Plan-B is also ready in case it fails to get preferred seats and there's no alliance.
Earlier in the week, the Congress released 32 names for the polls, featuring Olympian Vinesh Phogat from Julana, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi and state unit chief Udai Bhan from Hodal.
The votes will be counted on October 8.
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