AAP to go solo in Bihar Assembly polls: No possibility of alliance, says Saurabh Bhardwaj

New Delhi [India], June 12 (ANI): Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Saurabh Bhardwaj has announced that the party will contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections on all seats "independently," while rejecting the possibility of an alliance with any other party including Congress.
"The party has decided that it will contest elections on all seats in Bihar," Bhardwaj told ANI.
On being asked about the possibility of an alliance with Congress, the former Delhi Minister informed that Congress fielded a candidate against AAP during the by-election to one of the five seats in Gujarat, even though AAP did not field anyone on four seats that were already occupied by Congress.
"The by-election to five seats in Gujarat earlier was definite. Congress had four seats, and we had one in our corner. We had an understanding with Congress that we would contest on seats where our candidates have already won, respectively. We didn't contest in the bypolls to four seats. However, Congress fielded a candidate against us during the by-election for the fifth seat. This was not in accordance with the spirit of allyship," Bhardwaj said.
"We are contesting Bihar elections independently," he added.
Earlier, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is the people's wish and a symbol of the state's development. He said that the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar were an opportunity to remove those who "ruined" the state.
"Our leadership and alliance are strong, and there is no confusion anywhere. NDA is the wish of the people of Bihar, and it is a symbol of development. This is an opportunity to get rid of those people who ruined Bihar," Sinha told ANI.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan earlier announced that he would contest the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls. Speaking at a public gathering in Arrah, Paswan declared that his party would support the NDA in all 243 assembly seats to ensure its victory.
"For those who ask from where I will contest, I want to tell you that my party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and I will contest on 243 seats to make NDA candidates win and strengthen the NDA alliance. My goal is that the NDA moves towards victory," Chirag said.
Making the announcement in Arrah, a traditionally weak region for JD(U), Paswan said that he would not contest the election "from Bihar but for Bihar." He added that he would leave the decision of his candidacy and constituency to the people.
Paswan's recent announcement has ignited a debate about seat-sharing within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar. Paswan's demand for 40 seats, citing his party's 100 per cent strike rate in the last Lok Sabha polls, has raised eyebrows among NDA allies.
The LJP is demanding 40 seats, while other allies like Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) are also seeking a handful of seats, while the BJP and JD (U) are reportedly eyeing 100 seats each.
Paswan's aggressive posturing comes against the backdrop of the 2020 polls, where his party secured an almost 5.66 per cent vote share. This brought down the JD(U)'s tally from 71 in 2015 to 43, relegating it to third place behind the RJD and BJP.
Bihar is expected to have its Assembly elections later this year. However, the Election Commission has not announced the dates. (ANI)