AAP to contest all 14 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and Chandigarh; INDIA alliance breaks

Chandigarh [India], February 10 (ANI): In a major blow to the opposition INDIA bloc, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal announced on Saturday that his party will contest alone all 14 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and Chandigarh.
Categorically signalling that there will be no alliance with the Congress in the state, Kejriwal said that the party will announce candidates for all 14 seats in the next 10-15 days.
"I would like to seek your blessings on one more thing. In the next two months, the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled. In this election, Punjab has 13 seats and one in Chandigarh. In total, there are 14 seats. In the next 10-15 days, the Aam Aadmi Party will announce candidates for all the 14 seats. Just like you had supported us two years back, I would like to seek your blessings to let Aam Aadmi Party win in all 14 seats by pressing on the 'broom'," Kejriwal urged people to vote for his party in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
While launching the Ghar Ghar Ration Scheme in Punjab's Amloh, the AAP chief said, "Two years back, you gave us blessings. You gave 92 out of 117 seats to us (in Assembly elections), you created history in Punjab."
Drawing attention to the party's election symbol, the Delhi Chief Minister said that people need to "sweep Punjab" with full force.
"We have to sweep all the 14 seats with an overwhelming majority and let Aam Aadmi Party secure victory. All of us need to sweep with full force," Kejriwal said.
The AAP supremo's announcement comes weeks after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that his party would contest solo in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, dealing another blow to the INDIA bloc hours after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee announced to contest in all seats in West Bengal alone, sharing no seat with her alliance partners.
Punjab CM had said in January that there would be no alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, AAP will get 13 seats (in Punjab)," Mann said at a media briefing.
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also announced to go solo in Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls.
In an exclusive talk with ANI, AAP leader Sushil Gupta said, "We will contest alone in all 90 assembly seats in Haryana. Regarding the Lok Sabha, we have communicated our stance to the national leadership of our party that we are strong and we can contest the elections in alliance and independently as well. The final decision will be taken by the party leadership."
AAP's announcement also comes close on the heels of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar making yet another flip by deserting the Mahagathbandhan alliance and joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Kumar was one of the tallest leaders of the INDIA bloc other than West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In the 2019, Lok Sabha polls, the Congress had won eight seats, the Shiromani Akali Dal had won in two seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party had won two and the AAP had won one seat. (ANI)