NEW DELHI: The Congress has entrusted two of its senior leaders with the task of negotiating an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). A Delhi Congress leader who is aware of the development said that Ahmed Patel and the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, had been speaking to the AAP leadership to finalise a seat-sharing formula.

“The negotiation has already started. A 4:3 partnership (four for AAP and three for Congress) is being worked upon. The party is keen on contesting from Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, and the East or Northeast Delhi seat. However, AAP is not interested in leaving the East and Northeast Delhi parliamentary constituencies,” said the party leader.   A Congress functionary in Delhi said that the AAP leadership was also talking to another senior Congress leader.

“It seems that an electoral pact may be sealed in a day or two. Congress will announce the alliance and names of its candidates on the same day. Both parties are also waiting for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to declare its nominees for all seven Lok Sabha seats,” he said.

The Morning Standard had reported earlier that since the Congress state unit was divided on stitching up an alliance with AAP, party president Rahul Gandhi could appoint an ‘independent observer’ (central leader) to negotiate a solution to the impasse.

“Ahmed Patel has been involved in the talks pertaining to an alliance in Delhi from the start. But the central leadership waited for the decision of the Delhi Congress. After they remained adamant against the coalition, senior leaders were engaged to initiate parleys. Former Delhi Congress chief Maken and All India Congress Committee member incharge of Delhi Congress, PC Chacko, were also in favour of an alliance from the beginning,” said the Delhi Congress leader.  

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi deliberated on the coalition with Delhi leaders twice this month. A survey of 54,000 grassroots workers showed the majority favoured a poll pact with AAP.

FOR AND AGAINST

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Sheila Dikshit, working presidents Haroon Yusuf, Devender Yadav, and Rajesh Lilothia, former head of the state unit, Jai Prakash Agrawal, and former Delhi Assembly speaker Yogananad Shastri are against a poll pact. But former DPCC president Tajdar Babar, Subhash Chopra and Arvinder Singh Lovely favour an alliance with AAP.