‘Those underestimating us.’: AAP as alliance with Cong in Haryana hits roadblock

Amid uncertainty over an alliance with the Congress for the assembly polls in Haryana, Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday warned that those who ‘underestimate’ the party would ‘regret’ it.

AAP national secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak said during a press conference that the party was ready to contest from all 90 seats in the Haryana elections with full force.

“We are fully prepared and waiting for the party’s order. As soon as we get the ‘go’ word, we will announce everything. We are prepared to fight the elections with full force on all the seats and those who underestimate us will themselves regret it in the future,” Pathak said.

Alliance talks between AAP and the Congress have hit an impasse over seat sharing. AAP has demanded 10 seats while the Congress is offering five to seven, insiders have said.

Haryana goes to the polls on October 5. The last date to file nominations is September 12.

Earlier in the day, AAP chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said talks were underway and expressed hope that there would be “some conclusion”.

“Talks are ongoing, so it’s too early to comment,” she said when asked about the number of seats AAP would contest if it struck an alliance with the Congress.

AAP has been on a continuous campaign in Haryana. Sunita Kejriwal, wife of party chief Arvind Kejriwal, is scheduled to hold public meetings in the state on Saturday. “We are ready to contest on all 90 seats,” Kakkar said.

AAP sources on Friday claimed that the talks over an alliance were on the verge of “collapse”.

They had also claimed that the party was planning to contest 50 seats and might announce its first list of candidates on Sunday.

We are fully prepared and waiting for the party’s order. Those who underestimate us will themselves regret it in the future.

INDIA bloc constituents AAP and the Congress contested the Lok Sabha polls in an alliance in Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi.

In Haryana, AAP contested the Kurukshetra seat, where its state unit chief Sushil Gupta lost to the BJP’s Navin Jindal.