No alliance with AAP in Delhi, Congress announces officially

Congress leader P.C. Chacko said the party had even discussed seat sharing in Delhi-four seats for AAP and three for Congress.

In fact, according to Chacko, Congress President Rahul Gandhi was eager to form the alliance to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Chacko, as assigned by the party, had also met AAP's Sanjay Singh to discuss the alliance and even the Delhi unit of the Congress, which was against the deal, was convinced.

However, the AAP was adamant that alongside Delhi, an alliance should also be formed in Punjab and Haryana.

"The situation differs from state to state. Delhi is an ideal situation where AAP and Congress can come together. We arrived at a pact also. AAP wanted to discuss Haryana and others," Chacko told media.

"It is neither practical nor feasible. Even today, we are ready for an alliance with AAP," he said.

The attempts to bring both the parties on board in Delhi started long back with a meeting at  Maharashtra politician Sharad Pawar's home, where Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also present.

Congress party veteran and former chief minister of the national capital, Sheila Dikshit, had earlier warned Rahul and his mother Sonia Gandhi in a letter that an alliance with the AAP would hurt Congress in the long run.

Despite resistance from the Delhi Congress unit, the party proceeded for the alliance but AAP's insistence on forming the same for Punjab and Haryana reportedly turned down the talks.

Delhi goes to poll for its seven Lok Sabha seats on May 12.

The results will be declared on May 23.

AAP to fight alone

Hitting out at the Congress for deciding not to go for an alliance with it in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi party on Friday said that it will defeat the other parties on all seven seats and the Congress' deposit will be forfeited in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference, AAP leader Gopal Rai said: "AAP's position in Delhi is stronger than Congress and it will defeat BJP on all seven seats all alone.’’