What’s ‘AAP’ with INDIA? Punjab Congress Leaders Say Will Contest on All 13 Lok Sabha Seats in State – News18

Notwithstanding an INDIA tie-up at the national level, the Punjab Congress on Thursday asserted that it will contest on all the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state next year. Addressing concerns of party workers, the state’s leader of opposition Partap Bajwa, while speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of Punjab Youth Congress office-bearers on Thursday, said, “Party workers are not ready to have any relations with the Aam Aadmi Party. The party will contest on all the 13 parliamentary seats.”

Indirectly referring to reports of an alliance between the Congress and AAP, Bajwa, while addressing Indian Youth Congress (IYC) national president Srinivas BV, who was present on the occasion, said the party workers need to be pumped up.

Echoing similar sentiments, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Amarinder Raja Warring said the party high command has given them the signal to prepare for all 13 seats.

“The state unit has made elaborate plans to reach out to voters and party workers beginning next month,” he said. “From holding meetings in all the Vidhan Sabha segments to holding parliament sammelans, party leaders would take feedback from party workers. On every 20 booths, one mandal has been created.”

Despite the central-level leaders of the two parties announcing to be part of the INDIA initiative, the Congress has been facing challenges over a tie-up with AAP in states like Punjab and Gujarat. In internal party meetings, there is wide consensus to contest on all the Parliament seats and this has been conveyed to the party high command.

Local Congress leaders have told the top brass that they do not want to give up as a formidable opposition to AAP in Punjab and any tie-up in the state could damage the grand old party in the long run. Sources said that the local leadership is awaiting the assembly elections in states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, and the performances there could play a vital role in deciding on alliances in states for the Lok Sabha polls.

In internal meetings, senior local leaders have threatened to quit the party in case the high command chooses to go ahead with the alliance at the state level for the parliamentary polls. “We will be left with hardly any option as the political vendetta by the AAP government is something we cannot ignore,” said a leader.