Delhi Congress to get new chief soon, amid alliance talks, AAP awaits announcement eagerly

A senior AAP leader said that with non-BJP parties meeting, talk of alliance is inevitable.

non-BJP parties meet, Arvind Kejriwal, Congress in 2024, Delhi congress, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee new chief, indian express, indian express news

The development is crucial as the AAP has reached out to Congress' leadership for support against Centre’s ordinance over Services, and the Congress has said that inputs of state units would be taken into account. (Express Photo)

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An impending change in guard at the helm of the Congress’ state leadership in Delhi, likely over the next couple of days, and the announcement regarding the new president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) is awaited not only by the grand old party but also by one of its two political rivals in the city – the AAP.

The development is crucial as the AAP has reached out to Congress’ leadership for support against Centre’s ordinance over Services, and the Congress has said that inputs of state units would be taken into account.

Congress sources said the party was screening potential candidates to be handed over the responsibility. “We are looking for someone from Delhi. And they must also be experienced…,” a party source said. According to a senior leader, former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, former MP Sandeep Dikshit, former Delhi ministers Arvinder Singh Lovely and Ajay Maken, former MLA Devender Yadav, and Abhishek Dutt, two-time councillor and current national secretary for party’s Karnataka unit, were among the front runners.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had written to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and incumbent president Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking a meeting to discuss the ordinance. AAP leaders said they were still waiting to hear back from them. While the meeting is ostensibly to discuss the impact of the ordinance, talks of a pre-poll alliance in 2024 could be broached, AAP leaders said.

“While Rahul ji is understood to be against the idea, several delegations — for and against an alliance with AAP — have called on Kharge ji with arguments earlier this month,” a Congress leader claimed.

“A former Congress MP hosted a senior AAP leader along with two Delhi Congress leaders at the residence of the former to discuss possible contours of alliance prior to calling

on Kharge ji,” another party leader claimed. Sources said back-channel negotiations between both parties had been held till as recently as last week. This, even as AAP and Congress leaders have publicly engaged in a war of words over the possibility of their coming together to form a joint electoral front against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

On Tuesday, Kejriwal said it was up to the Congress to make its stand clear on the Delhi ordinance at the meeting of non-BJP parties in Patna on June 23. The meeting has been called by Bihar CM and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar to discuss the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “I hope that the Congress will make its stand clear, as all the other political parties in that meeting will ask the Congress about its stand… I will explain the dangers of this ordinance…,” he said, adding that a similar ordinance could be promulgated in other states as well.