GUWAHATI: The Opposition’s INDIA bloc faced another setback on Thursday as the Aam Aadmi Party independently announced candidates for three Lok Sabha seats in Assam.
Throwing its hat into the ring for the upcoming polls in Assam, the Arvind Khejriwal-led party decided to go on its own announcing three candidates for as many constituencies in the BJP-ruled state.
In a press conference held on Thursday, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak revealed the party’s candidates for the Assam seats – Manoj Dhanohar, Bhaven Chaudhary and Rishi Raj.
Dhanowar, the son of senior Congress leader Rameshwar Dhanowar, had previously contested the 2021 Assembly elections from Lahowal constituency without success. However, in 2022, he resigned from the Congress citing personal reasons. He will be contesting from Dibrugarh.
Bhaven Chaudhary, the state coordinator of AAP Assam, will be contesting from the Guwahati seat, while Rishi Raj has been nominated for the Sonitpur constituency.
Asserting their readiness to contest, Pathak highlighted the importance of timely preparations, considering the limited time left before the elections.
He also expressed hope for cooperation from the INDIA bloc.
“We are part of a mature and sensible alliance, and we trust that the INDIA bloc will accommodate us. However, winning elections is our priority. We are gearing up for these three seats without delay,” Pathak affirmed.
Expressing concern over the prolonged discussions without concrete outcomes with the Congress-led INDIA bloc, Pathak urged for swift decisions on alliances.
While reaffirming AAP’s commitment to the INDIA alliance against the Modi government, he stressed the urgency for resolution.
“We’ve been in talks for months, but there’s been no tangible progress. We stand united with the INDIA alliance, but the time for decisions is now. We hope the INDIA alliance and Congress will allocate these three seats to AAP,” Pathak added.
Pathak further mentioned that the Punjab units of both AAP and Congress have mutually decided to nominate candidates independently for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the North India state.
The decision is perceived as a setback to the Opposition’s efforts to reach a consensus on seat-sharing as the election date approaches.
