New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla has reiterated that the INDIA alliance remains united and will collectively strategise for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, despite the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) recent defeat in the Delhi assembly elections.Speaking on the coalition’s approach, Shukla stated, “When the INDIA alliance was formed, it was decided that we would contest the Lok Sabha elections together while allowing state units to make independent decisions regarding local polls. When the Parliamentary elections approach, discussions within the INDIA alliance will resume.”Shukla emphasised that despite different electoral strategies at the state level, the opposition remains cohesive. “We have to assess the next strategy of the parties, but the unity within the opposition remains intact and will continue,” he added.On Sunday, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying that they lost the polls because of their “ego.”
She mentioned that Congress was contesting the Delhi assembly elections to strengthen its presence and was not in alliance with any party.
Speaking on the relevance of the INDIA bloc, the Congress leader stressed that its existence on a national level was crucial for the country’s interests and for protecting the Constitution.”We were fighting for our place. We were not with anyone. AAP lost the polls because of their ego. This proves what we were saying earlier. The alliance (INDIA alliance) should remain for the country’s interests. We respect them and believe in them. This (keeping alliance) is the only way where we can stay together to protect the country’s constitution,” Chowdhury told ANI.After the BJP’s win in the Delhi assembly polls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stated that defeats are lessons, asserting that the INDIA bloc will gain more strength in the future.
Akhilesh Yadav had campaigned for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates in the Delhi assembly polls, but AAP suffered a massive setback, securing only 22 seats, a huge drop from its previous tally of 62 in the 2020 polls, while the BJP won a historic mandate on Saturday, returning to power in the national capital after 27 years by winning 48 seats in the 70-member Delhi assembly.
“We wanted AAP to win the Delhi elections, but BJP won. In a democracy, we have to accept the people’s mandate. Defeat teaches a lot, and in the days to come, the INDIA alliance will gain more strength,” the SP chief said.