NEW DELHI: Congress leader Ajay Maken has openly addressed the rift between Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and accused former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of starting it. Maken claimed that differences in seat-sharing discussions during the Haryana assembly elections in 2024 contributed significantly to tensions within the INDIA bloc.
What happened during Haryana elections 2024
During an interview with ANI, Maken recounted the failed negotiations over seat-sharing in Haryana. “During the Haryana Assembly elections, a discussion was going on with Kejriwal and his party over seat-sharing. We offered four seats; they demanded six. We said we would consult our local leaders first. However, in the meantime, Arvind Kejriwal got bail, came out, and announced that AAP would contest all 90 seats alone,” Maken said.
“It was not Rahul Gandhi who started this rift; it was Kejriwal who made the headlines by refusing to ally with us,” he added.
This fallout in Haryana signalled a deepening divide between the two parties of the opposition INDIA bloc. The friction has now carried over to the Delhi Assembly elections in 2025.
The battle intensifies during Delhi polls
The ongoing political battle between Congress and AAP has intensified as both parties prepare to contest all 70 seats independently in the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5. Last year, Kejriwal announced that AAP would go solo, saying, “there is no possibility of any alliance with Congress.”
Earlier on Sunday, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a public rally at Hauz Qazi Chowk in Old Delhi, accused Kejriwal of betraying his promises to the people. “Arvind Kejriwal came in a small car—a WagonR—wearing a sweater and climbed an electric pole. After coming down, he went straight to the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ (glass palace) with automatic doors and big TVs,” Rahul remarked, mocking Kejriwal’s transition from an activist to a politician living in luxury.