Gujarat AAP chief talking on pre-poll tie-up for LS polls ill-timed: Congress

Ahmedabad: The Congress on Tuesday termed "ill-timed" the announcement made by Gujarat AAP chief Isudan Gadhvi about both the parties fighting upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state under a seat-sharing formula.

The Congress also asked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders to refrain from making such statements saying the decision on alliances is taken by the central leadership of the Grand Old Party.

Gadhvi on Monday caused a flutter by saying the AAP and the Congress will contest the general elections together in Gujarat under a seat-sharing formula as both the parties are members of the opposition INDIA alliance.

"Congress' central leadership and the INDIA alliance will take a final decision about any pre-poll tie-up with other parties. Such decisions are not taken at the state level. Such a statement (by AAP about a tie-up) was ill-timed. Everyone should stay away from making such statements," Gujarat Congress' chief spokesperson Manish Doshi told media persons.

Gadhvi had said both AAP and Congress are part of the INDIA bloc and this poll alliance will be also implemented in Gujarat.

"Though the talks of a tie-up are still at the primary level, it is sure that both AAP and Congress will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat under a seat-sharing formula," the AAP leader had said.

Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party won all 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

The BJP had downplayed Gadhvi's claim.

In the 2022 assembly elections in Gujarat, the BJP retained power by winning a record 156 seats in the 182-member House while Congress' tally was reduced to 17 from the 77 seats it had won in 2017. The AAP made an impressive entry into Gujarat politics by winning five seats.

The division of opposition votes between the Congress and AAP is believed to have helped the ruling BJP among other factors.