In a surprising move, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Gujarat unit chief Isudan Gadhvi on August 6 claimed that the AAP and the Congress would contest the Lok Sabha polls jointly in Gujarat. In response, the Congress Party indicated that the final decision would be determined by the central leadership.

Addressing a press conference, Gadhvi said, “The alliance between the AAP and Congress, which is called INDIA, is also applicable in Gujarat. Currently, we are examining the seats. The BJP looks scared of I.N.D.I.A. This is why everyone, from the Prime Minister to other BJP leaders, is making statements against it.”

Responding to Gadhvi's surprise announcement, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi emphasized that decisions regarding seat-sharing agreements rested with the central leadership. Doshi highlighted that Gujarat Congress would adhere to the directives of national leaders when considering pre-poll alliances.

"I have just learned about his announcement. Seat-sharing agreements with other parties are finalized by the central leadership. It is their prerogative to decide pre-poll tie-ups. State leadership will discuss this issue when it is raised by the central leadership. Gujarat Congress will follow the directions of our national leaders in this regard," Doshi said according to PTI.

AAP Gujarat spokesperson Karan Barot said that the AAP and the Congress would field candidates after evaluating the strength of the parties to take on the BJP in various constituencies.

Rutvij Patel, a spokesman for the Gujarat BJP, emphasized the party's historic achievement in the state and reaffirmed their commitment to winning all 26 Lok Sabha seats with a substantial majority.

"We have been winning all the 26 LS seats in Gujarat for the last two terms. This time, we target to win all the seats with a margin of 5 lakh votes. The Central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not scared of any such alliance. We are confident of winning the polls. With this announcement, it has now come to the fore that AAP is a B team of Congress," the BJP spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI.

Notably, the Congress and the AAP competed against each other in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections. While Congress won 17 seats, the AAP won five seats in the 182-member House.

Image source: PTI