New Delhi: Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday asked the Delhi unit leaders to restrengthen the party in the national capital and kept the issue of seat-sharing with AAP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls open.
“The high command has asked all the state leaders to work together and strengthen the party in Delhi. Various leaders spoke and suggested ways to do that. Now, we will sit down and formulate a plan of action soon,” AICC general secretary in charge of Madhya Pradesh and former Delhi MP JP Agarwal told this channel after Rahul and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge reviewed the Lok Sabha poll preparations with senior AICC and state leaders.
The Congress meeting was crucial as the senior Delhi leaders have been opposed to any alliance with the AAP in Delhi. The review took place weeks before the important opposition alliance INDIA meeting in Mumbai Aug 31-Sep 1 where the national level seat-sharing will be discussed by 26 parties.
According to party insiders, the “message from the high command was to strengthen the Congress in Delhi so that the party managers are able to strike a hard bargain with the AAP whenever seat-sharing for Lok Sabha would be taken up.”
“The high command is aware of the reservations that senior Delhi leaders have on having an alliance with AAP. But we also understand that the leadership is looking at the national big picture and may finally opt for a poll pact with AAP. The high command listened to the views of the Delhi leaders over the alliance issue and will take a final decision accordingly. Once they decide on something, we would obviously follow it,” said a senior AICC functionary who attended the strategy session held at the party headquarters.
According to party insiders, Rahul recounted his recent interactions with various sections of society in Delhi including students, motorcycle mechanics and vegetable traders and noted that there was a lot of scope for the grand old party to regroup in the city but for that party leaders must first reach out to the voters.
“We don’t have a sitting MP or an MLA in Delhi but we have a voter support base in all the seven Lok Sabha seats. We would like to contest at least 3 Lok Sabha seats. The AAP is bound to indulge in a hard bargain as they are in power. We should be ready for that. A strong presence on the ground will allow us to bargain better. Both parties will have to work together in a spirit of give and take if they have to fight the 2024 national polls together against the BJP. Both will have to show commitment to opposition alliance INDIA,” said a senior Delhi Congress leader.
“Rahulji asked us to take up the issues of the Delhi voters and do everything possible for developing the city,” he said. During the meeting, Kharge noted that the previous Congress government headed by three-term chief minister Sheila Dikshit had made the city developed and prosperous and the party would continue to fight for the people of Delhi.
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