AAP fields Balbir Singh Jakhar from West Delhi

NEW DELHI: Having run out of patience, the AAP today announced Balbir Singh Jakhar, a lawyer, as its candidate for the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat saying that the party will compete solo on all the seven parliamentary seats in Delhi as the Congress continues to dither over the repeated offers of the AAP for striking an alliance.

Ananya Panda

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 17

Having run out of patience, the AAP today announced Balbir Singh Jakhar, a lawyer, as its candidate for the West Delhi Lok Sabha seat saying that the party will compete solo on all the seven parliamentary seats in Delhi as the Congress continues to dither over the repeated offers of the AAP for striking an alliance.

Jakhar is currently the president of the Dwarka Court Bar Association and has been associated with the party since its inception.

Importantly, the AAP smarting over the Congress’ open rejection even as a section-led by former Congress chief Ajay Maken is believed to be still keen on the pact has indicated the incumbent BJP is its principal opponent this elections.

Cong not serious about Delhi, says AAP

AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai blamed the Congress for the failure on reaching an understanding claiming the Congress is not serious about Delhi. Rai attributed the failed talks to Congress’ “irresponsible behaviour and indecisiveness”.

“The AAP has declared all its seven candidates in Delhi. We waited for long that in keeping with the larger sentiment within the country all parties would unite to save the democracy and Constitution from the dictatorship of the Modi-Shah-led BJP government. But, the way the Congress is behaving irresponsibly and has been indecisive for the past three months, the AAP has decided to take its agitation for Delhi’s statehood forward on all the seats,” Rai said, adding that the AAP will step its Lok Sabha campaign after the Holi.

Referring to his party’s internal survey findings, Rai claimed in Delhi there is disappointment with the Congress and it is likely to get 7-7.5 per cent vote share.

Earlier, the AAP had announced on March 2 names of other six candidates — Pankaj Gupta (Chandni Chowk ), Dilip Pandey (North East), Atishi (East), Raghav Chadha (South), Brijesh Goyal (New Delhi) and Guggan Singh Rana for North West Delhi — for the Lok Sabha polls.

Its a pressure-tactic for alliance with Cong: BJP

The BJP sees today’s announcement of Balbir Singh Jakhar as West Delhi parliamentary candidate by the AAP as a “pressure tactic” on the Congress to speed up the “possibilities of an alliance”claiming otherwise the AAP would run a distant third on almost all Lok Sabha seats as Delhi’s electorate is traditionally the voter-base of the BJP and the Congress.

This at a time when Arvind Kejriwal once again defended his repeated overtures to the Congress for an alliance to defeat the BJP saying “country is paramount for his party”.

“Then (2013) we fought against Congress’ corruption with all strength. Today Narendra Modi and Amit Shah duo is the biggest threat to the country. Now it is the duty of every patriot to make all efforts to oust the duo from power. You too leave the duo’s side for the country’s interests,” said the Chief Minister on Twitter.