No tie-up with AAP in Delhi polls, says Congress; slams Kejriwal

Ahead of the Delhi assembly polls scheduled to be held early next year, state Congress chief Devender Yadav said on Friday that the party will contest on all 70 seats and there would be no alliance.

IMAGE: AAP national convener and MLA Arvind Kejriwal speaks during the Delhi legislative assembly winter session, in New Delhi, November 29, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

After attending the Congress Working Committee meeting on Friday in New Delhi, Yadav spoke to ANI on the party's CM face for the Delhi polls and possibilities of an alliance.

"We never announce beforehand. We will contest all 70 seats. Our leader is elected after we win. The same procedure will be adopted in Delhi. There is no alliance."

Yadav, who led the Fourth Phase of the Congress' Delhi Nyay Yatra today, said that people are "very unhappy" with the "misgovernance" of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

He said, "Senior citizens are not getting old age pensions. Poor is not getting ration card. Roads are damaged. Pollution has gone beyond control. Youth are unemployed. Women are dejected due to inflation. AAP has opened mohalla clinics just for show. This is the Kejriwal model."

Meanwhile, the Congress has appointed party leader Priyavrat Singh as "war room" chairman for the Delhi polls.

The appointment was approved by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Congress, which was in power in Delhi for 15 successive years, has performed poorly in the past two assembly polls, failing to win any seat.

Earlier, the Congress party had announced that it will hold its Working Committee meeting today following its poor performance in the recently concluded Maharashtra and Haryana elections.

BJP and AAP have also started their preparations for Delhi assembly polls.

Earlier, the Delhi BJP manifesto committee met on November 25 under the chairmanship of party leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, as the party is preparing for the upcoming elections.

The meeting comes amid the Bharatiya Janata Party's recent triumph in Maharashtra.

Delhi BJP president Virendraa Sachdeva expressed confidence that the party would secure a similar victory in the national capital.

"PM Modi's address fills the BJP workers of Delhi with enthusiasm. Now the time has come for the people of Delhi to give a befitting reply to those who are ruining Delhi. The people want a clean, corruption-free Delhi. After Maharashtra and Haryana, the people will elect a BJP government in Delhi too... BJP will get huge support in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections..." he said in a statement.