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AAP's Stand on Bihar Elections

Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), announced on Thursday that the party will participate in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections without any alliances. He emphasized that AAP will not seek support from Congress or any partners within the India bloc for this election. Kejriwal clarified that the India bloc was only relevant for the Lok Sabha elections, indicating that there would be no coalition with Congress. He questioned why Congress contested the Visavadar by-election if there was an alliance, suggesting that they aimed to defeat AAP. He accused the BJP of sending Congress to undermine AAP's chances and split the vote.

The Bihar assembly elections are anticipated to take place later this year, although the Election Commission has yet to announce the specific dates. Notably, elections for all 243 seats in Bihar are scheduled for October or November 2025. The previous assembly elections were held in October-November 2020, resulting in the formation of a government led by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister. In August 2022, Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) severed ties with the NDA and formed a government with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Grand Alliance. However, in January 2024, the JD(U) once again aligned with the NDA under Nitish Kumar's leadership.

Earlier, Kejriwal accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition Congress of collusion in Gujarat. He expressed confidence that the people would elect AAP to power in the 2027 assembly elections. Following AAP leader Gopal Italia's victory in the recent Visavadar assembly by-election, Kejriwal, buoyed by this success, stated that unlike in the past, voters now have a viable alternative in AAP. He made these remarks while launching a membership campaign for his party in Gujarat.