’Misfit, selfish’: AAP’s Somnath Bharti apposes alliance with Congress in Haryana, cites Delhi poll pact as example

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Somnath Bharti warned of an alliance between Arvind Kejriwal's party and the Congress in Haryana ahead of the state assembly elections due in October this year. He said the AAP "must evaluate the effectiveness of similar alliance formed in Delhi during the Lok Sabha Election".

He said, “Supporters of AAP are majorly not in favour of such a misfit and selfish alliance, and AAP should contest on all seats in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi on its own.” 

Bharti's statement came a day after An AAP spokesperson said that the party may soon  announce candidate list and that the alliance talks with the Congress is still on. Earlier, reports hinted as stalemate between the two parties over seat-sharing formula for the Haryana elections.

'Delhi Congress didn't support AAP candidates'

In a post on X on Sunday, Somnath Bharti stated that AAP must contest all 90 seats in the Haryana assembly elections on its own strength. He also levelled allegations against the Congress, accusing the grand-old party of not supporting AAP candidates during the Lok Sabha Elections in Delhi.

Bharti posted, “While my national Convenor Arvind Kejriwal ji did roadshows for all the three Congress candidates, senior leaders and cabinet ministers of AAP campaigned for all three Congress candidates but AAP candidates, especially myself, were not supported at all, especially by Congress Delhi and local leaders.”

The AAP leader said former Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, with many Congress leaders, left the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the midst of the ongoing election campaign.

He added, “Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken refused to even meet, local leaders like Sri Jitender Kochchar [in Malviya Nagar] worked against this alliance and sought votes for BJP's MP candidate allegedly for money.”

"No event of Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi or Kharge was organised in our parliamentary constituencies to consolidate Congress votes in our favour," Bharti said in the post.

'AAP must contest all 90 seats'

Somnath Bharti said that the Haryana BJP is on its deathbed and the Congress has been facing massive infighting. He, therefore, emphasised that AAP must contest all 90 seats without allying with the Congress.

Bharti said, “Haryana BJP is on its deathbed, Congress facing massive infights, and Haryana being home state of Kejriwal ji, Aam Aadmi Party should contest on all 90 seats on its own strength to give first non-BJP and non-Congress Honest Govt in Haryana.”

"And we must not forget that the imaginary sharab Ghotala, which gave BJP a reason to arrest our leaders for months and years, was hatched and severely pursued by Sri Maken. When it comes to defeat AAP, BJP and Congress both work together openly or discreetly," he wrote on X.

The voting to the 90-member legislative assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the last date for filing nominations is September 12. The counting of votes will be held on October 8.