Will AAP and Congress forge pre-poll alliance? It seems likely
What's the story
A number of tweets set off speculations that AAP and Congress may forge a pre-poll alliance in Delhi, joining the buzz of a united opposition to stop BJP's victory in 2019. While, Congress leader Ajay Maken blamed AAP and Anna Hazare for creating 'Monster of Modi', AAP's Dilip Pandey hinted it isn't impossible. So will the two rivals really join hands?
Details
Understanding the likely terms of the alliance
As per reports, the talks between Congress and AAP are on with regard to three out of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi (all of which BJP won in 2014). Significantly, AAP appointed five functionaries in-charge of LS seats but didn't announce names for West and New Delhi seats. Opposition leader Vijender Gupta suggested AAP left it for the Congress.
The other side
However, not everyone in Congress approves of the alliance
In a tweet, Ajay Maken clarified Congress won't come to AAP's rescue because 'they created Modi'. Apparently, other Congress leaders are also of the opinion that forging an alliance with the adversary AAP will hamper the party's prospects. It might repel voters, upset with AAP's rule, they felt. Notably, AAP wrested power from Congress, ending its 15-year-rule in Delhi, after a lot of mud-slinging.
Twitter Post
Why would we come to their rescue, asks Ajay Maken
On “so called” offer of AAP to Congress for 3 seats,look at my reply to Kejriwal!
— Ajay Maken (@ajaymaken) June 1, 2018
When the people of Delhi are continuously rejecting Kejriwal Govt, why should we come to their rescue?
After all, Kejriwal with team Anna supported by RSS, helped in creating this monster of Modi! pic.twitter.com/D8IwcqF0t9
The future
Unarguably, the alliance will help AAP significantly
AAP, that once spoke about ridding politics of corruption, has been mired in controversies. The party's performance in Shahkot, Punjab, during Assembly by-polls prove its base is eroding. In Punjab, where AAP was considered a strong contender, the party came third lagging far behind Congress and Akali Dal. In this scenario, joining hands with Congress might just give AAP a new lease.
Twitter Post
Congress leaders are in touch with AAP, claims Dilip Pandey
.@ajaymaken जी! कांग्रेस के कुछ वरिष्ठ नेता 'आम आदमी पार्टी' के संपर्क में हैं, और वे हरियाणा, दिल्ली और पंजाब में हमारा साथ/सहयोग चाहते हैं, और दिल्ली में हमसे वे एक सीट मांग रहें हैं. https://t.co/q8v6Xyujr1
— Dilip K. Pandey (@dilipkpandey) June 1, 2018
Joining forces
Notably, Arvind Kejriwal attended Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony
Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony was touted as opposition's show of power, an event Arvind Kejriwal attended. Recently, he even tweeted people were missing a well-educated PM, praising Manmohan Singh. With so many talks, the BJP can no longer turn a blind eye to a united opposition. The by-polls results proved the saffron party needs to come up with a better plan for 2019.