Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday made it clear that the Congress did not need any alliances to fight the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which it would win hands down on its own.Given the public sentiment in Punjab, where the Congress had won all the recent elections (including Gurdaspur and Shahkot) with record margins, the party did not require any alliance for the parliamentary elections next year, he said.Pointing out that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had lost the support of the people in Punjab completely, the Chief Minister clarified that he had not at any stage mentioned that he was open to an alliance between the Congress and AAP in Punjab. The fact was that given the Congress sweep in the state in all recent elections, beginning with last year’s Assembly polls, the party did not really need any political coalition for next year’s parliamentary polls, he said.
The Chief Minister, however, reiterated that the final decision on pre-poll alliances rested with the Congress high command, and its decision would be accepted and followed by all the state units, be it in Punjab or elsewhere. Alliances are the prerogative of the national party, and they will take a decision at a suitable time, he said, adding that several factors, including winnability, are usually taken into account by the party before going in for an alliance.As far as the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) is concerned, it will share its views with the party high command as and when the latter seeks the same, said Captain Amarinder Singh. As in the past, the national leadership of the party will take into account the ground situation in every state and the opinion of the state unit before taking a final decision on any alliance, he said, adding that the PPCC would also be internally discussing the issue as and when required to build a consensus on the matter.