Haryana Polls: AAP Releases First Candidate List, To Go Solo As Alliance Talks With Congress Collapse

Haryana Election: AAP announced its first 20 candidates amid ongoing seat-sharing negotiations with Congress. The party has threatened to release candidates for all 90 seats if an agreement is not reached.

File photo | The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has intensified its push for a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in Haryana Election

Source : PTI

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced its decision to contest the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections independently, ending speculation over a potential alliance with the Congress. The party unveiled its first list of 20 candidates on Monday, as the nomination deadline looms on September 12. This decision follows prolonged discussions between AAP and Congress, which failed to materialise into a concrete seat-sharing agreement. The Haryana Assembly, comprising 90 seats, is set to go to the polls on October 5.

The AAP has fielded candidates in key constituencies including Naraingarh, Assandh, Samalkha, Uchana Kalan, Dabwali, Meham, Rohtak, Bahadurgarh, Badli, Beri, Mahendragarh, and Badshahpur. Notably, the Congress has already declared its candidates for these seats, setting the stage for a direct faceoff.

Prominent figures in the initial candidate list include AAP Haryana unit senior vice-president Anurag Dhanda, who will contest from Kalayat—a stronghold of former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Other key candidates are Indu Sharma from Bhiwani, Vikas Nehra from Meham, and Bijender Hooda from Rohtak.

Among other candidates, AAP has fielded Kuldeep Gadrana from Dabwali, a constituency historically dominated by the Chautala clan, and Kuldeep Chikara from Bahadurgarh. The list also includes Randir Guliya from Badli, Sonu Ahlawat Sheria from Beri, Ravinder Faujdar from Ballabhgarh, Dharmender Khatana from Sohna, and Bir Singh Sarpanch from Badshahpur.

📢Announcement 📢

The Party hereby announces the following candidates for the state elections for Haryana Assembly.

Congratulations to all 💐 pic.twitter.com/Ulca3eVppu

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) September 9, 2024

Speaking to ABP News, AAP Haryana chief Sushil Gupta hinted at the alliance talks failing as he said, "We waited and have shown our patience. AAP will fight on all 90 seats alone. We released our list today and will release the next list soon. We were a partner of the INDIA bloc at the national level."

AAP's Haryana president, Sushil Gupta, addressing the media, stated, "We have been preparing for all the 90 seats since day one. There is not much time left for the polls, the last date for filing nominations is 12th September. So the wait is over."

"Very soon by evening, you will get to see the second list. Now only three days are left for nomination, so within three days all the candidates have to be lined up, for which scrutiny is going on. Aam Aadmi Party is a good and strong option in Haryana. I do not want to get into the politics of allegations and counter-allegations. We are fighting the battle to change the system of Haryana," he told ANI.

#WATCH | Delhi: On releasing first list of 20 candidates for Haryana Assembly polls, AAP Haryana chief Sushil Gupta says, "...Very soon by evening, you will get to see the second list. Now only 3 days are left for nomination, so within 3 days all the candidates have to be lined… pic.twitter.com/F7Js2RXIXK

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2024

Gupta further emphasised AAP's readiness to provide a strong alternative in Haryana and hinted at the imminent release of a second list of candidates. Echoing Gupta's sentiments, AAP leader Sanjay Singh asserted that the party would contest the Haryana polls with full strength.

Haryana Election: AAP's State Unit Threatened To Announce All Candidates Today If Seat-Sharing Consensus Not Reached

As the Haryana Assembly elections approach, the AAP intensified its push for a pre-poll alliance with the Congress. Sushil Gupta, the AAP's Haryana state unit chief, announced earlier today that his party would release the names of candidates for all 90 Assembly seats if an agreement is not reached by the evening, news agency PTI reported. The deadline for filing nominations for the Haryana election is 12 September, with polling scheduled for 5 October. Negotiations between the Congress and AAP have stalled over the number of seats each party would contest. According to AAP sources cited by PTI, the party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, is demanding 10 seats, while the Congress has offered five.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Gupta emphasised that every AAP worker in Haryana is prepared to contest all 90 Assembly seats. "We will release the list of candidates for the 90 seats by the evening," he said when asked about the Congress's response to the alliance proposal. He added that the AAP has been awaiting a reply from the Congress, but no communication has been received so far.

The failure of AAP and Congress to finalise an alliance in Haryana also casts doubts on the possibility of a similar coalition in Delhi, where elections are scheduled early next year.

In response to a query about whether AAP’s solo decision might benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sushil Gupta asserted, "The countdown for the BJP's exit has begun in Haryana, and the AAP will not allow the BJP to benefit at any cost."

Sanjay Singh added, "We do not have sufficient time. We are now engaged in finalising the candidates' names for the remaining seats."

On Sunday, AAP leader Raghav Chadha, who was negotiating with Congress leaders for a potential alliance, mentioned that both parties were striving to form a coalition for the Haryana polls, setting aside their individual aspirations.

Expressing gratitude towards the AAP leadership, Kalyat candidate Anurag Dhanda thanked them for the opportunity to contest the polls. He mentioned that the state leadership had clear instructions to prepare for all 90 seats. Reflecting on the failed alliance, Dhanda remarked, "We had said we will follow the order of our party high-command."

He further asserted that the AAP would offer a strong, viable alternative to the people of Haryana, adding that the remaining candidates' names would be announced shortly. "The party has reached every household in the state, and we have workers at every booth," Dhanda stated confidently.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, while campaigning in Haryana on Friday, urged voters to support the AAP for better education, jobs, and healthcare in the state.

Historically, AAP and Congress have had a mixed record of alliances. While they joined forces for the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, they contested separately in Punjab. In the previous Haryana Assembly polls in 2019, AAP had fielded candidates in 46 seats but did not secure any victories.