New Delhi, April 16: Former Delhi chief minister and Congress veteran could be announced as the party candidate from the East Delhi constituency, said reports on Tuesday. Party insiders claim that Dikshit, who has been the CM for 15 years, is among the best picks for the party to wrest the parliamentary seat from the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019.

The East Delhi seat is currently held by BJP leader Maheish Girri. Dikshit's son Sandeep Diskhit, a former Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MP, had lost from the constituency in 2014. The likely-decision of fielding Dikshit comes amid uncertainty over the AAP-Congress alliance. Arvind Kejriwal vs Rahul Gandhi Erupts on Twitter as AAP-Congress Alliance Bid Hits Roadblock.

A day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal indulged in a public spat over the issue, the grand old party said it has already offered AAP four seats in the national capital and now the decision has to be taken by it.

"Party president Rahul Gandhi has made it pretty clear that an alliance can be formed just in Delhi in a ratio of 4:3," he told reporters, in response to a question on alliance.

"People have expressed their doubts to us over AAP but despite that we have shown a big heart and for a common objective we have agreed to form an alliance in Delhi.

Senior party leader Randeep Surjewala has made it clear on the party's stand on alliance in other states," he said.

He accused Kejriwal of playing "hide and seek" and said Gandhi has made its stand clear.

Surjewala had last week said that if an alliance has to be made it can only be made in the national capital and not in other states.

Amid a continuing blame game over seat-sharing in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal Monday engaged in a public spat, with the Congress president accusing the AAP of making a 'U-turn' over alliance talks prompting the Delhi chief minister to hit back at him.

The Congress chief had said while the doors of his party are open, time is running out, but Kejriwal slammed him, questioning what U-turn was he talking about as the talks were still on.

The Congress has offered the AAP 4:3 seat-sharing formula - four Lok Sabha seats for the ruling party and three seats for itself while the AAP has proposed 5:2 ration keeping five seats for itself and two for the grand old party.

The arrangement has been arrived at on basis of the vote share of both parties in 2017 civic polls here.

The Congress has accused the Kejriwal-led outfit of backing out from its commitment, as it is demanding seats in Goa, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh, besides Delhi for a pre-poll understanding with the Congress.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh said in response to Gandhi's tweet, "The Congress is not giving even a single seat to the AAP in Punjab where it has four MPs and 20 MLAs and in Haryana."

"In Delhi where the Congress has zero MPs and MLAs, it is demanding three seats. Is this how agreement happens? Why do not you want to stop the BJP in other states," he asked.

The AAP has already announced its candidates on the seven parliamentary constituencies in Delhi, while the Congress has finalised names of its candidates which could be announced soon.

(With PTI inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 16, 2019 08:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).