AAP names candidates for six of Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats, rules out Congress tie-up

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday announced its candidates for six of Delhi’s seven Lok Sabha seats for the coming general election, putting an end to speculation about an alliance with the Congress.

The candidates

Delhi AAP convener Gopal Rai told a press conference that the six had earlier been named in charge of these constituencies:

• East Delhi: Atishi
• South Delhi: Raghav Chaddha
• Chandni Chowk: Pankaj Gupta
• North East Delhi: Dilip Pandey
• North West Delhi: Gugan Singh
• New Delhi: Brajesh Goel

The nominee for the seventh seat, West Delhi, was still under discussion and would be announced soon, he said.

Alliance talks

The announcement came a day after the Congress reached out to AAP and began talks on seat-sharing in Delhi. According to sources, the Congress leadership had agreed to open discussions, but the party’s Delhi unit, which wanted to fight alone, strongly resisted. AAP had for months been signalling interest in a pre-poll tie-up but had been rebuffed.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had recently said at a rally that he was tired of trying to persuade the Congress to join hands to defeat the BJP. He argued that with an alliance, the BJP would lose all seven Delhi seats it currently held.

Opposition leaders including TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, meeting at NCP leader Sharad Pawar’s residence, had also urged Rahul Gandhi to ally with AAP in Delhi. The Delhi Congress, led by former chief minister Sheila Dikshit, remained opposed. On Friday Dikshit met the party’s three working presidents, and they again decided against an alliance, a senior Delhi Congress leader said.

What happened next

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, counted on 23 May 2019, the BJP won 303 of 543 seats and the Congress 52.

See also: Indian National Congress

Originally published on 2 March 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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