There are strong indications that the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party may not enter into a seat-sharing arrangement in Punjab, and this is not being viewed as a setback by leaders in both parties with regard to the Lok Sabha elections, but, rather as a win-win situation for the INDIA alliance in the polls.
According to sources in both the Congress and the AAP, it is now more or less clear that the two parties will not have a seat-sharing arrangement in Punjab. But, they want this to be seen as a situation qualitatively different from that in West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress has declared that it will not have an alliance with the Congress in the state.
For one, they point out that in Punjab, unlike in West Bengal, both parties are clear about the need to fight independently of each other. The state units of both the parties have been staunchly against entering into a seat-sharing arrangement. The ruling AAP fears that getting into an alliance with its prime rival, the Congress, in the state could result in opening up the opposition space for the Akali Dal. It is argued that even in the absence of an alliance between the AAP and the Congress, it is the INDIA grouping that will benefit in the end.
On the other hand, the local unit of the Congress has been firmly against joining hands with the AAP, saying it was not politically feasible given the fierce rivalry between the two parties and in the backdrop of the Bhagwant Mann government's actions against several Congress leaders. The Congress is the main opposition party in the state and to join hands with the AAP for the Lok Sabha elections will be something that will not go down well with the voters of the state, the local unit leaders have argued before the central leadership. The Congress also views the Lok Sabha polls as an opportunity to stage a comeback in the state that they lost to the AAP in the previous Assembly elections.
However, with the larger picture in view, the leaders in both parties assert that they are firm in their commitment to fighting the Lok Sabha elections together. It is pointed out that the two parties are close to reaching an agreement on seat sharing in Delhi and perhaps even in neighbouring Haryana and Gujarat.
Unlike in Punjab, In Delhi, where the AAP is again the ruling party, the BJP is a formidable force. The BJP has in fact done fairly well in the Lok Sabha elections despite not being able to unseat the AAP at the state level. This makes the Congress and the AAP appreciate the need to join hands in the national capital. The Congress and the AAP both want larger share of the seven seats on offer in Delhi. The AAP's negotiating chip is its ruling party status, while the Congress argues it has done better than the former in Lok Sabha polls.
