On, off, on again: AAP and Congress continue talks

NEW DELHI: The talks for an alliance between AAP and Congress are now like a streaming serial which holds the promise of a tantalising climax in every daily episode. It has an unpredictable script with a lot of suspense, regular twists, and dialogues that hide more than they reveal. But it will have to conclude soon, whatever be the denouement. Time is running out.

On Wednesday, there were source-based reports that significant headway had been made towards forming an alliance in Delhi and Haryana and the two parties were close to clinching a deal. But then AAP’s negotiator and MP, Sanjay Singh — in an exact repeat of his announcement seven days back — told a news agency that Congress was in no mood for an alliance and AAP would contest all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and three of the 10 seats in Haryana with its ally in that state, Jannayaka Janata Party.

Within an hour, reporters were getting frantic calls from the party, saying the possibility of an alliance was still alive.

Congress’s Haryana unit was spoke in wheel

On Monday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, speaking on the alliance in public for the first time, had accused chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of making a U-turn on the bid for a tie-up but added that their doors were still open though time was running out. Kejriwal had reacted by saying that Rahul was interested only in posturing and not an alliance. The negotiators of the two parties had gone into a huddle the next day and indicated that a deal could be happening soon.

On Wednesday evening, Sanjay Singh told a news agency that the talks had collapsed. “To defeat BJP on 18 seats, we have made all attempts to forge an alliance with Congress on the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, 10 seats in Haryana and one in Chandigarh, but Congress is not willing for an alliance.” He added: “An alliance on 18 seats would have given a message that Narendra Modi is not returning to power. But Congress is not willing for an alliance. It is sad that despite all attempts, Congress is in no mood for an alliance.” This had left no one in any doubt that it was finally over. It wasn’t.

AAP has already announced the name of its candidates for all seven seats in Delhi and they will start filing their nominations from April 18.

Earlier in the day, a senior Congress functionary had claimed that their party had softened its stand and was ready to accommodate AAP’s demand for a seat-sharing pact in Haryana too. The person had told TOI that Delhi had been stitched up on the basis of a 4:3 formula with AAP getting more seats to contest and now talks were on at “different levels” for a similar arrangement in Haryana. Sources, however, said later that since the state Congress unit was unwilling to accommodate AAP and JJP, the talks had got derailed.

The Delhi unit of Congress, too, had been unwilling to partner with AAP but came around only after the central leadership, led by Rahul, conveyed to DPCC president and former chief minister Sheila Dikshit that every seat was crucial for the grand alliance to defeat BJP. Sources said the Haryana unit too may relent and agree for a pact.

Sources said senior Haryana Congress functionary Bhupendra Hooda and Sanjay Singh had met Congress general secretary in-charge for the state, Ghulam Nabi Azad, to take the talks forward. Singh had proposed a 6:3:1 seat-sharing formula with Congress getting six seats to contest, three in JJP’s kitty and AAP getting one. “But Congress proposed a 7:2:1 formula, reducing JJP’s share. By evening, the talks had collapsed,” sources added.

The talks for an alliance have been on for the past four months. AAP has been ready to give three LS seats to Congress as demanded by that party but only on the condition that it should get at least one seat in Haryana in a triparty alliance involving AAP, JJP and Congress.