Final list of candidates not yet ready as AAP-Cong talks hit stalemate

Gurgaon: The uncertainty over the Congress-AAP alliance in Delhi has cast its shadows on the nomination of candidates in Haryana as well. According to AAP sources, if the alliance goes through in Delhi, it will have a bearing in Haryana as well, which is holding up the final word on names of candidates on its three proposed seats in the state.
On Monday night, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had tweeted that Congress was ready to give AAP four of seven seats in Delhi, but Arvind Kejriwal had a taken a U-turn derailing talks. The AAP chief responded by saying alliance talks were still on.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty over AAP-Congress alliance in Delhi. If it goes through, it’s bound to change the equation in Haryana as well. Hence, we can’t disclose any names unless there is total clarity on the party’s position in Delhi,” said a party representative.

AAP Haryana chief Naveen Jaihind, however, said, “As of now, there are no talks of an alliance with Congress in Delhi or Haryana.”

Meanwhile, AAP has already announced its alliance with Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) last week in Delhi.

However, with JJP chief Dushyant Chautala not in favour of a three-way alliance between AAP, Congress and JJP, it remains to be seen which side AAP leans towards.

While JJP and AAP announced their alliance last week, the two parties are still undecided on seats. AAP could be getting three out of 10 in the state, with the rest going to JJP. The indecision on this front is another factor delaying the nomination of candidates. Jaihind said there would be more clarity on seats and candidates by this weekend. According to sources, AAP is likely to bag Gurgaon, Faridabad and Karnal or Ambala. It’s almost certain AAP will fight from Gurgaon and Faridabad, but negotiations are going on about the third seat. AAP considers Karnal and Ambala as its strongholds and are rooting for one of these two. In Gurgaon, AAP has 10 contenders in the fray. “Anees Khan from Mewat and Mahesh Yadav from Gurgaon are two internal candidates in consideration for Gurgaon,” said a source. The party, though, is also in talks with “well-known names” from regional parties for the Gurgaon seat. “These candidates are currently associated with other parties, but will join AAP if given a ticket,” said sources.

On Tuesday, representatives of AAP and JJP held a joint press conference in the city stating they are dedi-cated towards defeating BJP in the state.