'No alliance with Congress in Punjab', says Mann

Chandigarh, Jan 24: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would go alone in the next Lok Sabha elections and would contest on all 13 seats in the state with no alliance with the Congress.

Predicting a clean sweep, Mann said, “It’s going to be 13-0 in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. AAP is poised to secure victory in all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and would emerge as the hero in the country.”

He was categorically clear in saying that there would be no alliance with the Congress in the state.

On being asked about the party’s alliance with the Congress for the Chandigarh mayoral poll, Mann, without mincing words, told the media here, “The party would also contest alone on the lone seat Chandigarh.”

Both AAP and the Congress are a coalition of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc.

Mann said nearly 40 aspirants of AAP have been shortlisted in preliminary meetings for the 13 Lok Sabha seats.

“We will conduct a survey again to know the winnability (of the candidate) on each seat. On some seats there are three-four candidates shortlisted and on a seat like Jalandhar, where we have a sitting MP, there is a lone candidate,” he added.