AAP's Punjab Unit Says "Won't Ally" With Congress For 2024 Poll: Sources

The Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab unit is unwilling to ally with the Congress - which it routed in last year's Assembly poll - to contest next year's general election, sources told NDTV this afternoon.

This is not the AAP's final position but it spotlights, and might even exacerbate, rifts within the INDIA bloc - of which both parties are members - a day after it met in Delhi to begin seat-sharing talks.

The Congress' Punjab unit too has previously expressed its concerns; its state boss, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, claimed the party would contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats its own and, in what was seen as a warning, said he was confident no decision would be taken "without our consent".

READ | "No Alliance": AAP, Congress Leaders Not Keen On INDIA Tie-Up In Punjab

Discussions between the AAP, the Congress, and other INDIA members are continuing but party boss Arvind Kejriwal, who will likely have the final word, left this morning for a 10-day meditation retreat.

Seat-sharing has long been flagged as serious challenge for INDIA parties. As early as September 1, the party's "will contest polls together as far as possible" resolution led to the one big question - could it stay together long enough to defeat the BJP's formidable election-winning machinery?

The first cracks appeared in the build-up to last month's Madhya Pradesh election, after the Congress and the Samajwadi Party squabbled over 18 seats. An irked Samajwadi Party boss, Akhilesh Yadav, was forced to back down and said, "Seems the Congress doesn't want to partner with us."

The Congress was hammered in the election, winning just 66 of the state's 230 seats (it won 114 last time) and left helpless as the BJP swept 163 to retain power in the Hindi heartland state.

That squabble over seat-sharing was referenced by the Trinamool, another INDIA member. Party boss, and Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee said, "Some votes were cut by INDIA parties... we suggested a seat-sharing arrangement. Now they (the Congress) lost because of division of votes."

In addition, big defeats in two other states - Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, both previously ruled by the Congress - have been seen as eroding the national party's ability to dictate terms in talks.

READ | How Congress' Loss Will Impact Seat-Sharing Talks With INDIA Bloc Parties

After the September meet, sources told NDTV seat-sharing talks in some states were likely to be easier than others. Punjab and Delhi, where too the AAP is in power, were red-flagged.

READ | As Election Nears, INDIA Seat-Sharing In This State May Be Issue: Sources

Bengal, where there is little love lost between the ruling Trinamool, the Congress, and the CPIM-led Left Front, is widely expected to be another major stumbling block, with the most likely outcome that each party fights on its own - a state of affairs that would appear to defeat INDIA's purpose.

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