AAP in Karnataka fray only to help BJP: Congress

Congress on Friday accused AAP of having a tacit understanding with the BJP, as the Delhi-based political outfit announced that it would contest "as many seats as possible" in the Karnataka Assembly elections.

"Whenever the BJP finds itself in trouble, the AAP jumps into the electoral fray. What an example of brotherhood and coordination," Priyanka Chaturvedi, co-ordinator of the AICC Communication Department said.

Her remarks came a day after the AAP announced that it would contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka. The fledgling outfit said it had based its decision on the basis of a survey across all regions of the state which indicated towards a desire for a "credible alternative" to the BJP and the Congress.

"The AAP lost its deposit on all seats in Gujarat, yet it is the first to take plunge in the electoral fray. What a setting, Arvind bhai," Chaturvedi said.

The AAP decision is expected to queer the three-cornered contest in Karnataka where Congress, BJP and the JD(S) are key players.

In case of a close contest, the presence of fringe players such as AAP, NCP, JD(U) is crucial in deciding the electoral outcome. In the recent Gujarat assembly elections, 56 out of the 182 seats were won with a margin of less than 5% votes.

AAP had fielded prominent personalities such as former Infosys official V Balakrishna in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but failed to make a mark.

In at least half a dozen constituencies in Gujarat, the votes polled by the JD(U) or the NCP or both was greater than the victory margin of the winning candidate.

In Gujarat, NOTA also proved to be a decisive factor in 30 Assembly segments. In these seats, NOTA polled more votes than the victory margin of the winning candidate. Of these 30 seats, the BJP won in 15, the Congress in 13, while two seats went to independents.