In talks with the Congress for an alliance over the past week for the upcoming Haryana Assembly election, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday (September 9, 2024) released its first list of 20 candidates as its State president Sushil Gupta said they could not wait any longer with just two days to go before the nomination process ends.
Refusing to comment on whether the talks with the Congress were officially called off, Mr. Gupta told The Hindu over phone that there was no communication from the party’s central leadership on this, but the State unit could not wait beyond a certain limit.
Haryana Assembly polls: AAP releases second list of nine candidates
“With just two days to go before the last day of nomination on September 12, we could not wait any longer. Being a national party, we need at least two days for the process,” said Mr. Gupta, adding that another list of candidates would also be released soon.
Mr. Gupta said the party was prepared to contest all 90 seats in the State.
Releasing the list in the afternoon, the party fielded its State senior vice-president Anurag Dhanda, a journalist-turned politician, from the Kalayat Assembly segment; former Irrigation Minister Narendra Sharma from Pundri; and Jaipal Sharma, who has earlier contested Assembly polls in 2005 and 2009, from Gharaunda.
In Dabwali, the party has fielded Kuldeep Gadrana, pitting him against the members of the Devi Lal clan – Aditya Devi Lal of Indian National Lok Dal and Digvijay Chautala of Jannayak Janta Party.
Besides, it has named candidates for seats like Rohtak, Beri, Badli, Naraingarh and Assandh, where the Congress has sitting MLAs.
The AAP had contested the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat in alliance with the Congress in the Parliamentary election earlier this year, and was seeking ten seats including Pehowa, Gulha, Jind, Kalayat, Ballabgarh and Sohna in the Assembly election. The Congress, however, was not willing to part with not more than five seats and that too of its choice.
A Haryana AAP leader, on condition of anonymity, accused the Congress of employing delaying tactics to derail the process.
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, at a political event in Palwal, evaded questions on the possibility of an alliance between the two parties.
Published - September 09, 2024 04:08 pm IST
