Faisal Ahmed Patel, the son of the late Congress stalwart Ahmed Patel, made a firm declaration on Thursday, stating that neither he nor dedicated Congress workers would endorse the AAP-Congress alliance if the Bharuch seat in Gujarat is allocated to Arvind Kejriwal’s party. Both Ahmed Patel’s son and daughter were vying for candidacy in the Bharuch constituency.

“Congress stands as a pillar of democracy, and the alliance with INDIA is paramount for our nation”s progress. If Congress secures the candidature, it would mutually benefit both the party and the INDIA alliance. Winning the Bharuch district would be significantly facilitated for Congress, considering AAP”s stronghold is limited to just one Assembly seat… Our belief remains steadfast that Congress should rightfully claim the Bharuch district… I cannot lend my support to this alliance,” Faisal Ahmed Patel said.

Discussions between AAP and the Congress, allies of the opposition INDIA bloc, regarding seat allocation in Delhi and several other states for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are in the concluding phases. According to sources, the Congress and AAP have nearly finalised a seat-sharing arrangement in Delhi, Gujarat, and Haryana, with an official announcement expected soon.

The Congress has agreed to allocate one seat to AAP in Haryana and two in Gujarat. The Haryana seat is likely to be either Gurugram or Faridabad, while the seats in Gujarat include Bharuch and Bhavnagar.

For Bharuch and Bhavnagar – currently held by BJP’s Mansukhbhai Vasava and Bharti Shiyal, respectively – the AAP is reportedly fielding Chaitar Vaisava and Umesh Bhai Makwana, respectively. The Congress, which performed dismally, dropped 60 Assembly seats between 2017 and 2022, and has failed to win a Lok Sabha seat since 2009, when it claimed 11 of the 26.

While AAP will contest from the South Delhi, West Delhi, North West Delhi, and New Delhi constituencies, the Congress will field candidates in the Chandni Chowk, East Delhi, and North East Delhi regions, as indicated by AAP sources.

Presently, all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital are held by the BJP.