Amid uncertainty over its tie-up with AAP in Delhi Cong leader Ahmed Patel meets Sheila Dikshit
New Delhi, April 10: Amid continued uncertainty over its tie-up with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel met the party's Delhi unit president Sheila Dikshit at her residence on Wednesday, sources said.
Dikshit refused to comment on the meeting, saying the issue of alliance was dragging for long and it would be good if the prevailing uncertainty is over. "Let us hope so," she told PTI when asked if the possibility of alliance with the AAP was over.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Delhi Congress P C Chacko, reacting to AAP leader Sanjay Singh's statement that the talk of alliance with Congress was over, said the BJP cannot be defeated single-handedly in Delhi by it.
"No problem, we welcome his statement," Chacko told PTI. He said that as in-charge of Delhi Congress, he had started talks with the AAP because both sides agreed that the BJP cannot be defeated if the two parties contest separately in the Lok Sabha elections.
Chacko said that the names of Congress candidates will be discussed in the Congress' central election committee (CEC) meeting on Thursday. "The announcement of candidates is possible after the meeting," he said.
During
Dikshit's
meeting
with
Patel,
which
lasted
around
40
minutes,
the
two
leaders
are
believed
to
have
discussed
the
possibility
of
a
tie-up
with
the
AAP
and
deliberated
about
probable
candidates
to
be
fielded
from
the
national
capital,
ahead
of
the
CEC
meeting.
The
meeting
also
assumed
significance
as
Dikshit
has
been
an
open
critic
of
the
tie-up,
while
Patel
is
known
to
be
in
favour
of
an
alliance.
Patel had earlier held talks with AAP leader Sanjay Singh to discuss the prospects of an alliance between the two parties which could hurt the BJP's prospects in the Lok Sabha polls.
While
the
AAP
has
been
pressing
for
a
tie-up
with
the
Congress
in
Delhi
and
Haryana,
the
Congress
is
reluctant
to
have
any
pre-poll
arrangement
beyond
the
national
capital.
Delhi
Congress
sources
claimed
that
the
former
MPs
from
Delhi
and
other
"well
known" senior
leaders
of
the
party
may
be
announced
as
party
candidates
from
seven
Lok
Sabha
seats
in
the
national
capital,
after
the
CEC
meeting.
According to sources, the possibility of an alliance between the two parties may not be over yet, and the current contradictory statements from them could be a pressure tactic to secure a better deal in seat-sharing.