aap-to-go-solo-in-bihar-elections

Former Delhi Chief Minister, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday declared that AAP will contest the upcoming Bihar elections solo, ruling out any alliance with the Congress, RJD or the Opposition's INDIA bloc. The elections are due to be held later this year.

Speaking at a press conference in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Kejriwal clarified that AAP’s alliance with the INDIA bloc was solely limited to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and no longer holds ground. He added that the party's decision to contest solo in the recent Visavadar bypoll was indicative of the same.

“We will contest the upcoming Bihar elections. There is no alliance with Congress. That is why we contested separately in the Visavadar bypoll. The INDIA bloc was only for the general elections. There is no alliance now,” Kejriwal said.

The announcement comes on the heels of AAP's recent wins in the Visavadar (Gujarat) and Ludhiana (Punjab) Assembly bypolls, which provided a morale boost to the party after significant setbacks in Delhi earlier this year.

The party even failed to retain their key seats in the Delhi Assembly elections, including those strongly held by big guns like Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Saurabh Bhardwaj, allowing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to return to power in the national capital after nearly three decades.

Despite this, AAP remains in power strongly in Punjab hence is now eyeing a wider national footprint by venturing into Bihar, a state marked by deep-rooted political loyalties and intricate caste dynamics.

Reacting sharply to Kejriwal’s declaration, BJP national spokesperson Ajay Alok mocked the AAP leader’s ambitions and questioned his relevance outside Punjab.

“Biharis and Purvanchalis shaved off Arvind Kejriwal’s head in Delhi and drove him out, but that was not enough for him. How much more will he use Punjab’s ATM? Punjab is already drowning in debt,” Alok said in Patna.

Taking a jibe at Kejriwal’s expansion bid, he added, “If Kejriwal comes to Bihar, he will understand his political standing. Welcome to Bihar.”