Alliance or no-alliance? Chacko rejects ties with AAP for 7 seats in Delhi

Congress leader PC Chacko on Thursday ended speculations of an alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stating that his party will contest the impending Lok Sabha elections on its own and will announce its list of candidates for all seven parliamentary seats in Delhi by evening. "AAP had initiated for an alliance, we held meetings with leaders designated by their party. Now if they want to do the same (alliance) in other states, that is not possible," Chacko told ANI.

A meeting of Congress' Central Election Committee Commission is scheduled for Thursday evening in which the party is expected to finalise its candidate for Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. "AAP initiated because they know they are not able to defeat BJP on their own. They had finished a close second in the last municipal elections. We are ready to fight on our own and will finalise candidates for all seven seats by today evening," Chacko said.

On Wednesday, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh had said that his party was opting out of the alliance with Congress. "In Punjab, we have four MPs and 20 MLAs. Congress doesn't want to share seats there. The same situation is in Haryana, Goa, and Chandigarh. In Delhi, where Congress doesn't have any MLA or MP, they're demanding three seats, " Singh said.

"We have closed all doors. Congress is not in favour of the alliance. It seems they want to benefit BJP," he told ANI. On Wednesday senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had called on met Delhi unit chief Sheila Dikshit at her residence here and according to sources they are believed to have discussed among other things the issue of the Congress, AAP alliance. Dikshit had last week rejected all talks of an alliance between her party and the AAP in the city-state.

AAP had already announced its candidates for all the Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. All seven Parliamentary seats in Delhi will go to polls in a single phase on May 12. The results will be announced on May 23.

(With inputs from agencies.)