PANJIM/NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress on Saturday announced their seat-sharing arrangements for Goa, the national capital, Gujarat, and Haryana.
The Congress in Goa will contest both the Lok Sabha seats in the State following finalisation of seat-sharing pact with the AAP.
GPCC president Amit Patkar and AAP State convenor Adv Amit Palekar informed this at a joint press conference in the city on Saturday.
A joint statement mentioned: “Being members of INDIA Bloc, Congress and AAP have forged alliance in the State for 2024 Lok Sabha polls and that both North Goa and South Goa seats will be contested by Congress.”
Adv Palekar said that AAP and Congress will unitedly fight both Lok Sabha seats in Goa to defeat ‘corrupt’ Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It will be a united fight, he said.
GPCC President Amit Patkar thanked AAP Delhi and State leadership for arriving at a consensus decision in the interest of the State. He appealed to the other opposition parties to join INDIA Bloc to defeat what he called ‘Bhrast Jumla Party’.
Ten days ago AAP, Goa had declared Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas as its candidate for South Goa Parliamentary seat. But now with the finalisation of their seat-sharing, AAP has now withdrawn the candidature of Viegas.
Adv Palekar said that seat sharing arrangements between the two parties is arrived at and it is nationally important for the well-being of INDIA Bloc. “Nobody is hurt or disappointed by the decision. We will fight unitedly including at booth management and to get people together for elections,” he said.
When asked when would the Congress announce names of its candidates for the two seats, Patkar said that the party’s central election committee (CEC) meeting is scheduled in Delhi on Tuesday, February 27, where the names of the candidates are likely to be finalised.
Reacting to the development, Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao said, “I thank the AAP leaders and it is need of the hour for all opposition parties to come together to defeat communal BJP.”
“United we stand divided we fall. We have to be either in ruling or opposition. We cannot be a fence sitter. In the larger interest we have to keep aside our differences and come together to defeat BJP,” Yuri said.
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said that sidelining its own political interests, his party entered into an alliance with the Congress as it believes that the “country is important and the party secondary”.
In a joint press conference, Congress leader Mukul Wasnik announced that the AAP will contest the New Delhi, the West Delhi, the South Delhi and the East Delhi seats, and his party the Chandni Chowk, the Northeast Delhi and the Northwest Delhi seats.
In Gujarat, the AAP will contest two of the 26 seats in the State — Bharuch and Bhavnagar — while the Congress will field candidates on the remaining 24, according to their seat-sharing arrangement.
In Haryana, the Congress will contest nine of the 10 Lok Sabha seats while the AAP will field its candidate in Kurukshetra, Wasnik said.
