In yet another setback for the Congress, Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday ruled out an alliance between the two parties in the state. The Congress and AAP are allies in the Opposition INDIA bloc.
Mann’s comments came hours after West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee said her party, an INDIA ally, will go solo in her state in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Asked about Banerjee’s decision to go solo and whether AAP will follow suit, Mann said, “In Punjab, we will not do anything (alliance with the Congress) like that. We have nothing with the Congress.”
He exuded confidence that his party would emerge victorious in all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Earlier, sources told India Today TV that AAP is likely to contest the Lok Sabha election on its strength in all 13 Lok Sabha seats of Punjab, sources said.
Kejriwal has approved a proposal by the Punjab unit of AAP to fight the general election alone, sources said.
They added that AAP refused to contest the election with the Congress in Punjab, accusing the grand old party of having a stubborn attitude regarding seat-sharing.
Earlier today, Banerjee announced that the TMC will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election alone in the state, throwing a wrench into the Opposition INDIA bloc’s efforts to present a united front against the ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.
The TMC supremo cited failed seat-sharing talks with the Congress, a key member of the bloc, for her decision to go it alone in the crucial polls.
“Whatever proposal I gave them, they have refused all,” Banerjee said, adding, “Since then, we have decided to go alone in West Bengal.”
Banerjee’s announcement came a day after she traded fire with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who criticized the West Bengal Chief Minister, called her an opportunist, and said that the party would contest the Lok Sabha elections without her assistance.
According to sources, the TMC’s offer of two seats to the Congress based on its 2019 Lok Sabha election performance, triggered tension among them, as the arrangement was deemed insufficient.
