The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said Monday it will field a candidate each in north, south and central Haryana.

Haryana has 10 Lok Sabha seats. The AAP has shown preference for six seats, out of which it will likely pick three.

The AAP will field a candidate in either Gurugram or Faridabad, another in either Ambala or Karnal, and one candidate from either Rohtak or Sonepat, senior party leader Gopal Rai said.

At present, the BJP-led NDA alliance has seven seats in the state, while the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), has two seats and the Congress has the remainder.

Last week, the Aam Aadmi Party had announced an alliance with the JJP and a 7:3 seat-sharing formula, with the larger share going to the JJP.

Earlier, Rai had said Gurugram, Faridabad, Ambala and Karnal were the party’s strongholds. Gurugram and Faridabad are satellite towns of Delhi and have a mixed demography in terms of class, caste and communities.

Ambala and Karnal, on the other hand, are segments where the party has a strong cadre that have engaged in intensive groundwork for the past one year, party leaders said. The party is still open for an alliance with the Congress in Haryana and other places, Rai added.

On Monday, Congress national president Rahul Gandhi had tweeted: “An alliance between the Congress & AAP in Delhi would mean the rout of the BJP. The Congress is willing to give up 4 Delhi seats to the AAP to ensure this. But, Mr Kejriwal has done yet another U turn! Our doors are still open, but the clock is running out.”

When asked about the remark, Gopal Rai said, “The Congress should understand that elections are taking place all across India and not only in Delhi. Their proposal reflects that they have no intention to defeat the Narendra Modi – Amit Shah duo anywhere other than Delhi.”

First Published: Apr 16, 2019 06:45 IST