JOIN USThe alliance drama between AAP and Congress appeared to be reaching the final leg with the former postponing the filing of nominations by three candidates scheduled for Friday by three days even as the latter remained unenthused by the move.
AAP projected its move -- postponed the filing of nominations of its candidates in Chandni Chowk, East Delhi and North West Delhi to Monday -- as a "last ditch" effort to finalise an alliance in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh but Congress rejected such overtures saying it wanted a written assurance on the national capital while there would be no talks on rest of the states.
Even as Congress negotiators said that the alliance will only be in Delhi and not in Haryana or Chandigarh, lead AAP negotiator Sanjay Singh visited senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal.
"Today also, we have again given a chance, people of the country want that. We have given Congress a last chance to think it over, let's see what happens," senior AAP leader Gopal Rai told reporters, announcing that they were delaying the filing of nominations of three candidates.
However, Congress was not impressed and sources said AICC in-charge of Delhi has forwarded a list of probable candidates to party president Rahul Gandhi for the seven seats. They said they do not give much importance to Rai's statement and wanted a written commitment from AAP on sharing seats on 4:3 where Congress gets three seats.
Sources said all seven Congress candidates would file nominations on Monday in case there is no alliance.
Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit's name figure in both Chandni Chowk and East Delhi seats while Sibal's name figure in Chandni Chowk too. The Congress leadership wanted Dikshit to contest from East Delhi but she has been insisting that she would contest only from Chandni Chowk, which Sibal represented in 2004 and 2009 and lost in 2014.
For West Delhi, Congress is toying with the idea of fielding either former MP Mahabal Mishra or Olympian Sushil Kumar in case the alliance does not work out. In North-East Delhi, the possible nominees are former Delhi Congress chief J P Aggarwal or former MLA Mateen Ahmed.
New Delhi seat is likely to see Congress' Ajay Maken and North-West Delhi would see former Delhi Minister Raj Kumar Chouhan as its candidate. For South Delhi, Congress leaders has suggested former MP Ramesh Kumar and this candidature could trigger a controversy as he is the brother of anti-Sikh riots case convict Sajjan Kumar.