The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) ambitious project to extend its influence in Haryana, the home state of its leader Arvind Kejriwal, appears to be facing significant setbacks. Reports indicate that the party is unlikely to achieve any substantial gains in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, which raises concerns just months ahead of the critical Delhi Assembly polls.
If current trends persist, it would mark a considerable blow for the AAP, igniting discussions regarding its decision to forgo an alliance with the Congress. While local Congress leaders opposed a partnership with AAP, senior party figure Rahul Gandhi reportedly advocated for collaboration, emphasizing that it could prevent vote splitting and enhance the opposition’s chances against the ruling BJP.
On the other hand, AAP’s senior leadership showed interest in forming an alliance; however, discussions stalled due to a significant disagreement over seat distribution. AAP reportedly sought to contest at least 10 of Haryana’s 90 Assembly seats, whereas the Congress was reluctant to concede more than seven, causing the negotiations to collapse.
Also read: BJP set to retain Haryana as party leads in 48 of 90 seats
The failure of these alliance talks is projected to adversely affect Congress, particularly in seven constituencies: Kalayat, Rania, Pehwa, Barwala, Jind, Bhiwani, and Gurugram. Nonetheless, the extent of AAP’s impact will only become evident once the election results are announced.
A key aspect of AAP’s campaign strategy in Haryana has centered around its governance in neighboring states, Delhi and Punjab. Raghav Chadha, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP, capitalized on this narrative, suggesting that the party could introduce a “triple engine” of development in Haryana.
The timing of these developments is particularly noteworthy as Arvind Kejriwal recently relinquished his position as Delhi’s chief minister. He has declared that he will only return to the role if AAP forms a government following the upcoming Assembly elections. Following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case, Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court last month. Shortly after, he announced his resignation, asserting that he seeks “justice from the people’s court.”
“I will sit on the Chief Minister’s chair only after the order of the people… I want to ask the people of Delhi, is Kejriwal innocent or guilty? If I have worked, vote for me,” he stated, emphasizing his reliance on public support.
While the Haryana elections may not directly affect the political landscape in Delhi, a failure to secure any seats after contesting nearly all of them could severely dampen the morale of AAP workers. The party has previously faced setbacks in Haryana, losing the only seat it contested in the Lok Sabha elections and failing to win any seats in four constituencies in Delhi.
