In a clear sign of growing tensions within the INDI Alliance, Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil on April 18, announced that the Congress will contest the upcoming bypolls to the Visavadar and Kadi Assembly seats independently, opting not to ally with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its partner in the national-level opposition bloc.
The announcement was made during a press briefing in Ahmedabad, where Gohil explained that the decision was unanimous and based on a strategic review of Gujarat’s past electoral patterns.
“Gujaratis have never voted for a third front. Here, it is either Congress or the BJP,” Gohil stated.
He further criticised AAP’s performance in the previous Assembly elections, saying, “During the last elections, the AAP tried its best. All of the big leaders of the AAP campaigned for the party, but they were still only able to get 10.5-11 per cent of votes and damaged the Congress party in elections.”
Calling on AAP to step aside for the larger goal of defeating the BJP, Gohil urged, “To defeat the BJP, the main opposition party is Congress. We urge the AAP to withdraw their candidates (for the upcoming Visavadar and Kadi by-elections)… The Congress party will fight elections in both seats.”
Despite the open snub, Gohil maintained that the Congress and AAP would remain part of the broader INDI Alliance. “On a national level, we are all part of the INDIA alliance, and we are one,” he added, attempting to downplay speculation of a deeper rift within the opposition front.
The bypoll for the Visavadar seat in Junagadh was necessitated after AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned in December 2023 and joined the BJP. Meanwhile, the Kadi seat in Mehsana—reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates—fell vacant following the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki on February 4. The Election Commission has yet to announce the polling dates.
Gohil’s announcement comes in the wake of the Congress’s AICC session in Gujarat held on April 8 and 9, during which the party renewed its focus on regaining power in a state it has been out of for over three decades. The Congress also sought to reassert its ideological connection to Gujarat by invoking the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, both of whom hailed from the state.
While Friday’s statement highlights the electoral fault lines between Congress and AAP, this is not the first instance of public strain between their leaderships. In 2020, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi openly criticised AAP and Arvind Kejriwal, declaring that the Delhi Chief Minister was merely following the BJP’s script.
This tension resurfaced during the 2024 Delhi Assembly elections when Rahul Gandhi publicly questioned Kejriwal’s moral authority and political credibility.
Speaking at a campaign rally in the national capital, Gandhi had accused the Delhi Chief Minister of colluding with the BJP behind the scenes. “Kejriwal pretends to fight the BJP, but in reality, he supports their agenda. He remained silent during the Manish Sisodia case, and now he wants sympathy. This is not opposition—it’s opportunism,” Gandhi had said, referring to the alleged liquor scam and Kejriwal’s subsequent legal troubles.
Gandhi had further criticised the Delhi government for neglecting public welfare and using theatrics to distract from real governance issues. “Delhi doesn’t need a showman. It needs a government that stands with the people, not one that cuts deals in the shadows,” he remarked.
These public barbs, combined with the Congress’s repeated refusal to ally with AAP in Delhi, Punjab, and now Gujarat, point to a pattern of unresolved mistrust between the two parties—one that threatens to undermine the cohesion of the broader INDI Alliance
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