NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi met with Delhi unit chief Sheila Dikshit and AICC in-charge PC Chacko on Saturday to discuss the possibilities of entering an alliance with the AAP.
This was Dikshit's fourth meeting with Rahul in last four weeks.
A senior Delhi leader said Rahul urged them to be prepared to contest the parliamentary elections in Delhi in coalition with the AAP. "Rahul had earlier told the state leadership that he would let them know his opinion pertaining to alliance. He called Dikshit and Chacko on Saturday to convey his decision," the leader said.
Leaders close to Dikshit said she was visibly upset after the meeting, adding that the party is on the verge of sealing a pact with the AAP. "The discussion is revolving around seat sharing formula in Delhi. The AAP is insisting on a tie-up in Haryana. The formula of 4:3 (Four AAP and three Congress) for Delhi is broadly accepted. However, discussion for Haryana will first take place in the working committee meeting," said a senior Delhi Congress leader.
Later, Dikshit met Chacko in the afternoon at her residence and held a closed door meeting. Though Dikshit acknowledged the two meetings, the Congress veteran said she was not aware of any development on seat sharing. "I don't know about discussion on seat sharing. They (central leaders) will take a decision. I am neither concerned nor aware of the development. Whatever is to happen, will happen. I hope an announcement will come in a day or two."
Chacko is in contact with AAP leader Sanjay Singh and the two are said to have held several rounds of talks in the matter.
The suspense over a Congress-AAP tie-up is continuing for the last four weeks. The Congress leaders had said talks are likely to resume on Sunday after senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad returns to Delhi from Kashmir. Azad and senior leader Ahmed Patel is negotiating with the AAP leadership a possible alliance in Delhi and Haryana. "Both AAP and Congress don't want to leave seats with sizeable minority and Dalit votes like Chandni Chowk, east, and northeast Delhi. So, the deadlock persists," said another state Congress leader.