'No alliance in Delhi...': Congress to contest all 70 seats solo in upcoming Delhi assembly elections

In a significant decision ahead of the February 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, Congress' city unit chief Devender Yadav announced on Friday that the party will contest all 70 seats and will not enter into any alliances. This statement came after Yadav attended a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in the national capital.

In the previous assembly elections in 2020, Congress faced a significant setback, failing to secure any seats. Yadav emphasised that the party does not announce its chief ministerial candidate in advance, stating, "Our leader is elected after we win. The same procedure will be adopted in Delhi. There is no alliance."

During the announcement, Yadav, who led the fourth phase of the party’s Delhi Nyay Yatra, expressed concerns over the dissatisfaction among residents regarding the governance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He highlighted issues such as the lack of old age pensions for senior citizens, unavailability of ration cards for the poor, deteriorating road conditions, escalating pollution levels, youth unemployment, and rising inflation affecting women. “AAP has opened Mohalla Clinics just for show. This is the Kejriwal model,” he criticized.

In related news, Congress leader Priyavrat Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the "war room" for the upcoming assembly elections. Historically, Congress had a stronghold in Delhi, governing for three consecutive terms, but has struggled in recent elections, failing to win any seats in the last two contests.

As the Union Territory's elections approach, both the BJP and AAP are ramping up their preparations for the elections. The Delhi BJP Manifesto Committee met last week under the leadership of Ramvir Singh Bidhuri to strategise for the polls.

Delhi BJP president Virendraa Sachdeva expressed confidence in the party’s prospects, drawing parallels to their success in Maharashtra. “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,” he asserted.

"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 further.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly is set for a competitive electoral battle among the AAP, BJP, and Congress in February 2025.