Ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, jolt to Congress as AAP not to join 'grand alliance'

On Wednesday, it was reported that the Aam Aadmi Party will not contest elections in all the Lok Sabha seats like 2014. The party's focus is only on 33 seats, of which 7 are from Delhi, 13 from Punjab, 10 in Haryana, 2 in Goa and 1 in Chandigarh.

Though there has been no direct political contact between the Congress and the AAP, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had shared the stage at a farmers rally and a similar rally at Janatar Mantar./ AFP/ FILE IMAGE

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is aggressive in its stance against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Thursday clarified that the party will not be part of 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) for the upcoming elections. AAP member Sanjay Singh said “I want to clarify that our party will not be part of any coalition. The Aam Aadmi Party will contest elections in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Goa and will not combine any kind with anyone.” AAP’s senior party leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh also said that the party will not be part of the grand alliance. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Aam Aadmi Party will not contest elections in all the Lok Sabha seats like 2014. The party's focus is only on 33 seats, of which 7 are from Delhi, 13 from Punjab, 10 in Haryana, 2 in Goa and 1 in Chandigarh. The 'grand alliance' is a coalition of political parties of the opposition which is proposed to be formed to end the BJP rule in the 2019 elections. Though there has been no direct political contact between the Congress and the AAP, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had shared the stage at a farmers rally and a similar rally at Janatar Mantar. Both were also present at the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy earlier last year. The BJP swept Delhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, winning all the seven seats, while the AAP emerged as the main party in the assembly polls a year later, winning a staggering 67 of the 70 seats.