New Delhi, April 24: Congress President Rahul Gandhi said his party is ready for an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Lok Sabha elections 2019 in Delhi "till the last second" if Arvind Kejriwal agrees not to extend the pact to Haryana. "We are ready for a tie-up till the last second. The moment Kejriwal drops the condition of including Haryana, it will happen," Rahul Gandhi told a newspaper on being asked if there was a possibility of an alliance till the last date of withdrawing nominations.

Gandhi said it was Kejriwal who had proposed four seats for AAP and three for Congress as a seat-sharing formula in Delhi. "Earlier, our party leaders in Delhi did not agree to this formula. But when we convinced the Delhi leaders, Kejriwal added the condition of extending the alliance to Haryana," the Congress chief was quoted as saying. Reacting to Gandhi's remarks, Kejriwal said the Congress is just pretending that it wants an alliance. AAP to Contest Solo in Delhi in Lok Sabha Elections 2019, Says Alliance With Congress Not Possible.

Referring to Gandhi's tweet on AAP-Congress alliance, Kejriwal said: "My question is - where in the world has an alliance fructified on Twitter or through statements in the media? If he wanted an alliance, he should have held talks. Congress is just pretending that it wants an alliance." The AAP chief said the BJP would lose at least eight of the 10 seats in Haryana if the two parties join hands. He also said the Congress is not in a position to win even three seats in Delhi.

The Congress was agreeable on a formula according to which the party would have fought three of the seven seats and four would have gone to the AAP. However, the AAP was also keen to have an alliance in Haryana which the Congress rejected. The failure of the AAP and the Congress to stitch an alliance could give some advantage to the BJP as it would benefit from a division in the opposition votes.

The last date for filing of nominations in Delhi is April 24 and polling will take place on May 12. The results will be declared on May 23.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 24, 2019 02:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).