With its alliance talks with the Congress failing to make any headway, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Monday announced its first list of candidates for 20 seats in the October 5 elections to the 90-member Haryana Assembly.

Out of these 20 seats, the AAP had contested 12 in the 2019 polls, but faced a rout with all its candidates losing their security deposits. These seats included Bhiwani, Rania, Dabwali, Uchana Kalan, Assandh, Kalayat, Badli, Mahendragarh, Sohna, Ballabgarh. Bahadurgarh and Beri.

The 20 seats include as many as 12 where the Congress has already announced its candidates, which include Naraingarh, Assandh, Uchana Kalan, Samalkha, Meham, Badshahpur, Rohtak, Badli, Beri, Mahendragarh, Dabwali and Bahadurgarh. The Congress has already announced 41 candidates for the upcoming polls.

Of the 20 seats, the Congress currently holds nine seats, the BJP six and the JJP two, with four seats represented by Independents.

In the 2019 Assembly polls, the AAP had contested a total of 46 seats in the state but failed to open its account, finishing with less than 1% of the votes polled. The party did not contest the 2014 Assembly polls.

The AAP’s move has virtually sealed the fate of its alliance with the Congress in the Haryana polls, which also has implications for the possibility of their seat-sharing arrangement for the Delhi Assembly polls slated for early next year.

Just before the AAP announced its 20 candidates, the party’s Haryana unit president Sushil Gupta said, “I am preparing (for the party to contest) in 90 seats. We have not received any word on an alliance from the Congress party so far. If this does not come till evening, we will announce candidates on all 90 seats.”

The AAP was seeking nine seats as part of its seat-sharing pact with its INDIA bloc ally Congress, which was said to be in favour of offering it five to seven seats.

A senior AICC (All India Congress Committee) leader said, “It seems both parties will contest separately now. They (AAP) have announced their candidates in several seats where we have already announced our candidates. So I don’t think there is any chance of the alliance working out now.”

A Congress leader from Haryana said the AAP initially demanded 15 seats, but came down to 10. “They wanted 10 seats in a state where they have almost no footprint. Our top leadership was willing to give them 3-4 seats. But I think the alliance falling apart is in the interest of the Congress.”

Here is a look at the 2019 poll outcome in the 20 seats where the AAP named its candidates.

Independent candidate Balraj Kundu won this seat in 2019, while Congress candidate Anand Singh Dangi, who had earlier won this seat in 2005, 2009 and 2014, finished second. This time, the Congress has fielded Dangi’s son Balram Dangi from the seat. The AAP had not contested the seat in the previous elections.

The BJP’s Ghanshyam Saraf won this seat in 2019 for the second consecutive time. The JJP’s Shiv Shanker finished second, while Congress candidate Amar Singh finished third. The AAP’s Kuldeep Singh finished 11th and got 335 votes, which was even less than the NOTA figure.

Ranjit Singh Chautala won this seat as an Independent candidate in 2019, defeating the Haryana Lokhit Party’s Gobind Kanda. The BJP’s Ram Chand Kamboj finished third, while Congress candidate Vineet Kamboj finished fifth. The AAP’s Amarjeet Singh finished 8th.

Congress nominee Amit Sihag won the Dabwali seat in 2019, defeating BJP candidate Aditya Chautala. The AAP’s Malkeet Singh finished seventh. A few days ago Aditya has switched to the INLD. The Congress has renominated Amit Sihag this time, while the JJP has fielded its leader Dushyant Chautala’s younger brother Digvijay Chautala from the seat.

Dushyant Chautala won this seat in 2019, while the BJP’s then candidate Prem Lata finished second and the Congress’s Bal Ram finished fifth. The AAP’s Rohtash finished sixth with just 1101 votes. This time, Dushyant is set to face a tough challenge from Congress nominee Brijendra Singh, the son of Prem Lata and ex-Union minister Birender Singh.

The Congress’s Dharam Singh Chhoker won this seat in the previous elections, while the BJP’s Shashi Kant Kaushik was the runner-up. The AAP did not contest this seat in 2019.

The Congress’s Shamsher Singh Gogi won this seat in 2019, defeating the BSP’s Narender Singh, while BJP candidate Bakhshish Singh finished third. The AAP’s Ved Pal finished 11th with 647 votes.

The BJP’s Harvinder Kalyan won from this constituency in 2019, while Congress candidate Anil Kumar ended up as the runner-up. The AAP had not contested the seat then.

Independent candidate Randhir Singh Gollen won this seat in 2019, while Congress nominee Satbir Bhana finished second and the BJP’s Vedpal Advocate finished third. The AAP had then not fielded its candidate.

The BJP’s Kamlesh Dhanda won this seat in the 2019 polls, while the Congress’s Jai Prakash finished second. Dhanda defeated the Congress Jai Prakash by over 8,900 votes. The AAP’s Seema finished sixth after garnering just 1453 votes. Jai Prakash, who is currently the Congress MP from Hisar. had won the Kalayat seat in the 2014 polls as an Independent candidate.

Congress candidate Shalley won the Naraingarh constituency in the previous elections, defeating the BJP’s Surender Singh, even as the AAP did not field its nominee. In the 2014 polls, BJP candidate Nayab Singh Saini (now the Chief Minister and the party’s Ladwa nominee) won this seat, defeating the Congress’s Ram Kishan.

The Congress’s Bharat Bhushan Batra won from the Rohtak constituency in 2019, with BJP candidate Manish Grover coming second. The AAP stayed away from contesting the seat. In 2014, Grover had defeated Batra in this seat.

The Congress’s Rajender Singh Joon won this seat in 2019, while the BJP’s Naresh Kaushik ended up as the runner-up. The AAP’s Anita finished seventh. In 2014, the BJP’s Naresh Kaushik had bagged this seat, defeating the Congress’s Rajender Singh Joon.

The Congress’s Kuldeep Vats won from Badli in the 2019 polls, trouncing BJP candidate Om Prakash Dhankar. The AAP’s Surender Nagal finished 10th with just 330 votes. In 2014, this seat was won by Dhankar with Vats finishing second while contesting as an Independent. This time, the Congress and the BJP have again fielded Vats and Dhankar from the seat, respectively.

Congress candidate Raghuvir Singh Kadian clinched the Beri seat in 2019, getting the better of the BJP’s Vikram Kadian. The AAP had not contested this seat then. Raghuvir Singh Kadian had won it in the 2014 polls too, when Vikram Kadian had came third.

The Congress’s Rao Dan Singh won this seat in 2019, defeating the BJP’s Ram Bilas Sharma. AAP candidate Ajay Sharma finished 13th with 313 votes, which was even lesser than the NOTA figure. In the 2014 polls, Ram Bilas Sharma had beaten Rao Dan Singh.

The BJP’s Om Prakash Yadav won this seat in the previous elections, trouncing the JJP’s then nominee Kamlesh Saini, while the Congress’s Narender Singh finished third. The AAP did not contest this seat in 2019. In the 2014 polls too, Om Prakash Yadav had won the seat.

In the 2019 polls, Independent candidate Rakesh Daultabad won from the Badshahpur constituency, with the BJP’s Manish Yadav and the Congress’s Rao Kamalbir Singh ending up at second and third positions respectively. The AAP had skipped the seat then. Daultabad passed away in May this year.

BJP nominee Sanjay Singh won this seat in 2019, while the JJP’s Rohtas Singh finished as the runner-up and the Congress’s Shamsuddin came fourth. AAP candidate Narender Kumar finished 10th with 570 votes, which was lesser than the NOTA tally.

The BJP’s Mool Chand Sharma won this seat in 2019, defeating Congress candidate Anand Kaushik. The AAP’s Harinder Kumar finished fifth. In the 2014 polls too, the BJP’s Mool Chand Sharma had won the seat, beating the Congress’s Lakhan Kumar Singla.

(– With inputs from Asad Rehman in New Delhi)

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