AAP rules out tie-up with Congress for Delhi polls after Haryana debacle

AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar blamed the Congress's 'overconfidence' for its underwhelming performance in Haryana.

In Short

• AAP blames Congress's 'overconfidence' for Haryana poll debacle
• Congress snubbed AAP during seat-sharing talks
• BJP stormed to power for a record third term in Haryana

The AAP has ruled out stitching an alliance with the Congress for the Delhi Assembly polls after it was snubbed by the party during Haryana seat-sharing talks. With the Congress failing to stop the BJP from winning Haryana for a third consecutive term despite perceived anti-incumbency, AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar blamed the party's "overconfidence" for its underwhelming performance.

"The AAP will have no alliance with the Congress in Delhi. The Congress didn't accommodate the Samajwadi Party and the AAP in Haryana despite being given more seats in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi during the Lok Sabha polls," Kakkar told India Today.

Assembly elections are slated to be held in Delhi in February next year, with AAP looking for a third straight term in the national capital.

The Congress, widely predicted to return to power in Haryana after a 10-year hiatus by exit polls, could only win 37 seats. The BJP bagged 48 seats -- its best-ever performance in Haryana.

The AAP, which contested 88 of the 90 seats in Haryana, failed to open its account as it decided to go alone after seat-sharing talks with the Congress fell through. The solitary solace for the party came in J&K, where it bagged the Doda seat in Jammu.

On Tuesday, Arvind Kejriwal took a veiled dig at the Congress over its Haryana poll loss. Addressing a gathering of AAP councillors, Kejriwal said, "One thing is clear, the biggest lesson is that one should never be overconfident in the elections."

The AAP and Congress have had a rocky relationship. In the Lok Sabha polls, the parties formed an alliance in Delhi and Haryana, but contested separately in neighbouring Punjab. The AAP contested four seats in Delhi, leaving three for the Congress. However, it failed to pay dividends as the BJP won all the seven seats.

Congress's defeat in Haryana and a below par performance in J&K leaves very little elbow room for the party to drive a hard bargain during seat-sharing talks with its INDIA bloc partners in the upcoming Delhi and Maharashtra polls.