In another jolt for the Opposition INDIA bloc, the national convenor of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal declared that his party will fight all 14 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in the upcoming general elections. The remarks came as the Congress-led INDIA bloc seems to be on the brink of collapse as influential regional leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, and Nitish Kumar are pulling their support from the alliance.
“Two years back, you gave us blessings. You gave 92 out of 117 seats to us (in Assembly elections), you created history in Punjab. I have come to you with folded hands, asking for one more blessing. Lok Sabha elections will be held in two months. For Lok Sabha elections, Punjab has 13 seats and one from Chandigarh – a total of 14 seats. In the next 10-15 days, AAP will declare its candidates in all of these 14 seats. You have to make AAP sweep all these 14 seats with the majority,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
The remarks came weeks after JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar decided to leave the INDIA bloc and return to the PM Modi-led NDA fold. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also giving priority to West Bengal politics and attacked Congress after disagreements on the seat-sharing arrangement.
One more small but influential party in the Western Uttar Pradesh Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is set to leave the Opposition alliance and as per the sources, it’s just a matter of time before RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary shakes hands with PM Modi.
‘INDIA bloc is crumbling’: BJP takes jibe at Opposition alliance
BJP was quick to notice the changed tune of the AAP supremo and announced that the structure of the INDIA bloc was crumbling. Shehzad Poonawalla attacked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ and said that it is more of a ‘bye bye yatra.’
“One more blow to INDI Alliance…Arvind Kejriwal has announced today that AAP will contest alone on 13 seats of Punjab and one seat of Chandigarh. It means INDI Alliance will not contest there, there won’t be an alliance there…The structure of the INDI Alliance is crumbling…No mission, no vision, only commission, only corruption, only confusion, only contradiction. Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Yatra is strange. It is more of a ‘bye bye yatra’ than Nyay Yatra. He should have taken out ‘INDI jodo yatra’ instead…,” BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said.
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Published: 10 Feb 2024, 03:42 PM IST
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