INDIA Bloc Crumbles as AAP Goes Solo in Punjab, Chandigarh Poll

Chandigarh: In a significant development shaking the political landscape of Punjab and Chandigarh, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal declared on Saturday that his party will independently contest all 14 Lok Sabha seats in the region, dealing a blow to the opposition INDIA bloc.

With this announcement, Kejriwal firmly ruled out any possibility of an alliance with the Congress party in the state. Addressing the public, he affirmed that AAP will unveil its candidates for all 14 seats within the next 10-15 days.

"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," stated Kejriwal, urging people to support his party's endeavor.

The decision by AAP to go solo follows Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's earlier announcement that his party would contest independently in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, further weakening the INDIA bloc. Mann had previously clarified that there would be no alliance with the Congress for the elections.

This move by AAP comes amid shifting alliances in various states, including Bihar, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently severed ties with the I.N.D.I.A alliance and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

With alliances breaking and parties asserting their individual strengths, the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the region promise to be fiercely contested.