Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is keen on an alliance with the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Haryana assembly elections slated for next month. Gandhi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has sought feedback from Haryana Congress leaders about joining forces with AAP during a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on Monday, sources said.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh responded positively today, stating, “We welcome it. Our priority is to defeat the BJP. Our Haryana in-charge Sandeep Pathak and Sushil Gupta will discuss this matter further and make a decision, which will be communicated to Arvind Kejriwal before a final decision is made.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been lodged at the Tihar jail since his arrest in the liquor policy case.

The Congress and AAP collaborated in the Lok Sabha elections across Haryana, Gujarat, Goa, Delhi, and Chandigarh. They had a seat-sharing arrangement in Delhi, with leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal urging their supporters to work together. However, this camaraderie appears to have waned since the national election.

Last month, senior Congress leader Kumari Selja ruled out any alliance with AAP in Haryana. She said that the Congress is a formidable force in the state, and will contest the elections independently.

Earlier this year, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal also declared that AAP would compete in all 90 Haryana Assembly seats on its own.

Meanwhile, AICC Haryana in-charge Deepak Babaria said that discussions were held on 49 seats during the CEC meeting, and 34 seats were officially declared. Of these 34, 22 are for MLA positions. Babaria said that 15 seats are still under review, with final names expected to be confirmed in the next 2-3 days.

The Haryana Assembly elections, covering all 90 seats, are scheduled for October 5. Votes will be counted on October 8.