Arvind Kejriwal, on Thursday, once again confirmed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will contest the upcoming Delhi assembly elections alone and rejected any possibility of an alliance with Congress. He took to X to state, “AAP will fight this election on its strength in Delhi. There is no possibility of any alliance with Congress.” This comes amid speculation that AAP and Congress were discussing a potential seat-sharing arrangement for the elections.
This marks the latest rejection by Kejriwal of any coalition with Congress, reaffirming his earlier statements. Just earlier this month, he made it clear that AAP intends to contest independently as it seeks a third consecutive term in power.
The statement follows reports indicating that AAP and Congress were close to finalizing an alliance for the Delhi polls. As part of its election preparations, AAP released its second list of candidates, featuring a significant shift in the party’s strategy. Manish Sisodia, previously the MLA for Patparganj, will now contest from Jangpura. Awadh Ojha, an educator, has been fielded for the Patparganj seat. The list also saw 17 sitting MLAs replaced with new faces, though three familiar names—Sisodia, Rakhi Birla, and Deepu Chaudhary—were re-nominated.
The Delhi assembly elections are expected in early 2025. AAP dominated the 2020 elections, securing 62 out of 70 seats, with the BJP winning just eight.
Meanwhile, Devendra Yadav, president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, has sharply criticized AAP and Kejriwal for the city’s worsening law and order situation. He highlighted rising crimes, especially against women, and demanded that Kejriwal ask Delhi CM Atishi to resign, drawing a parallel to his previous call for Sheila Dikshit’s resignation during the Nirbhaya case. Yadav accused the AAP government of failing to protect citizens and restore peace.