Lok Sabha elections news: A day after the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dealt a shocker to the Congress in Delhi, the party has announced its candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024 from several seats in Goa and Gujarat. The party announced its candidates for two seats in Gujarat and one seat in Goa for the upcoming elections, India Today reported.
The decision was announced at a meeting of the party's political affairs committee chaired by Arvind Kejriwal. AAP leader Sandeep Pathak said the decision was taken on the basis of merit and winnability of the candidates to defeat the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections expected to be held in April-May.
AAP's Lok Sabha candidates in Gujarat, Goa, Assam
The party announced the parliamentary candidature of two AAP leaders-- Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava and Botad MLA Umeshbhai Makwana-- who will contest from Bharuch and Bhavnagar respectively.
Sandeep Pathak said the AAP won five seats with a 13 per cent vote share whereas the Congress got 17 seats with a 27 per cent vote share in the Gujarat assembly elections.
“If you look at it purely scientifically and on a merit basis, then the AAP should get one-third of seats and the Congress should get two-thirds of seats in the Lok Sabha elections to contest under the alliance. According to this, our share of seats for the parliamentary election comes to eight, keeping the merit and winnability in perspective,” he said.
The party also announced Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas as the AAP candidate for the South Goa constituency.
"Both our MLAs are doing good work in South Goa and are quite popular there. So, keeping in mind the seat share and the winnability, AAP has nominated its candidate for one (South Goa) seat and one parliamentary seat ticket must go to the Congress. Keeping in mind, we announced the candidature of Venzy Viegas," Pathak said.
Last week, the party announced its candidates from three Lok Sabha seats in Assam-- Guwahati, Sonitpur and Dibrugarh.
AAP's knockout punch to Congress in Delhi
Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday announced that it will offer one Lok Sabha seat to the grand old Congress party in Delhi, while adding that the party does not deserve even a single seat on merit basis.
"On merit basis, Congress party does not deserve even a single seat in Delhi but keeping in mind the 'dharma of alliance', we are offering them one seat in Delhi. We propose Congress party to fight on one seat and AAP on six seats," AAP leader Sandeep Pathak said.
AAP attacks Congress over seat-sharing talks, Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
Pathak also attributed the decision to announce candidates for Lok Sabha seats in Goa, Gujarat and Assam to repeated attempts to hold seat-sharing talks with the Congress last month, which failed to materialise. "We held two official meeting on seat-sharing with the Congress, on January 8 and January 12. Both meetings took place in a congenial atmosphere. But no result came out," he said.
He added that prominent Congress leaders were clueless about when the seat-sharing talks would take place and cited the grand old party's ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
"There is no clarity as to when the next meeting will be held. It is going to be more than a month. In such a situation, if your aim is to win the election, then a question arises in your mind. You worry that it will be very difficult to win the election in this way," he said.
Also Read: Lok Sabha elections 2024: AAP offers 1 seat to Congress, says 'keeping in mind dharma of alliance'
Also Read: Maharashtra: Former CM Ashok Chavan joins BJP, Dy CM Fadnavis calls him 'stalwart leader'