NEW DELHI, Dec 3: The AAP on Sunday asserted that the assembly election results are not reflective of the nation’s mood for next year’s Lok Sabha polls even as it congratulated the BJP on its imminent victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The party also asserted that a meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc on December 6 will decide the future course of action.
According to the latest trends, the BJP is set to form the governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh while it has already crossed the majority mark in Rajasthan. While the saffron party is set to retain power in Madhya Pradesh, it is on the way to trouncing the Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
In Telangana, the Congress is set to form the government after defeating the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
In its official statement, the AAP said it “submits to the will of the people” and congratulates BJP for its win in three states.
“We sincerely hope that the BJP will come through on its promise and provide homes under the Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Awas Yojana. We also hope that the BJP will provide LPG (cylinders) at Rs 450, as promised. We demand that cheaper LPG (cylinders) should be provided for the entire nation and not be limited to the three states,” the party added.
The AAP also congratulated the Congress on “a spectacular win” in Telangana.
“This is, however, not reflective of the mood of the nation for (the) Lok Sabha as the Congress won MP (Madhya Pradesh), Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in 2018 but the BJP won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” the AAP said in the statement.
“INDIA alliance talks will now be held on December 6 in Delhi in which we will decide the future course of action,” it added.
The AAP was also in the fray in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh but failed to make any inroads.
Talking about its performance, the party said, “The Aam Aadmi Party is in the formative stages in these states and we were contesting to ensure that our message reaches everyone.”
It further said, “The BJP lost its deposits on 31 seats in the recently concluded Karnataka elections. PM Modi himself campaigned in Andhra Pradesh but the BJP lost on all 173 seats and scored less than NOTA. Did this affect the BJP vote share in Gujarat?”
Senior AAP leader Jasmine Shah also took a dig at the Congress and said in post on X, “After today’s results, @AamAadmiParty emerges as the largest opposition party in north India with two state governments — Punjab and Delhi.”
Party insiders said the Congress will now have to listen to its INDIA allies during seat-sharing talks.
While some opposition leaders, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and KC Tyagi of the Janata Dal (United) have asserted that the Congress’ imminent defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan will have no impact on the opposition bloc, some others have pointed out that the grand old party had become distanced from its coalition partners.
An AAP insider said, “The Congress is the oldest party and it is in power in two states — Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh — and will form the government in Telangana. The AAP, which is only an 11-year-old party, has governments in Delhi and Punjab.”
Speaking about the AAP’s performance in the states where it contested, the insider said it has to contest elections since it is now a national party.
“It takes time to make inroads. All these parties have been working there for a long time,” the insider said.
Another party insider said the Congress’ underperformance in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan means that it will not be able to call the shots on the INDIA alliance’s seat-sharing formula.
“Had Congress won the three states, it would have dictated terms on seat sharing. Now, it will have to listen to its allies and reach a consensus. This will have an impact on seat sharing, not only in Delhi and Punjab but also in other states. Seat sharing will become a little easier and the Congress will have to listen to its allies,” the insider said.
The insider also claimed that the Congress’ overconfidence was responsible for its imminent defeats in the three states. (PTI)
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