Congress Opts for Independent Run in Gujarat Bypolls, Ends Alliance with AAP

In a tactical change in front of coming bypolls, the Gujarat Congress has decided to fight the Visavadar and Kadi Assembly seats alone, choosing not to join hands with its INDIA bloc ally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in the state.

The decision was made after a make-or-break meeting of the Gujarat Congress' Political Affairs Committee, which was presided over by national general secretary and state in-charge Mukul Wasnik in Ahmedabad.

The meeting also discussed internal issues, including the appointment of new district presidents, with a decision by May 31.

Justifying the decision, Gujarat Pradesh Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil said that it was taken on a consensus basis after considering electoral trends specific to the state. "Gujarat's electorate has never embraced a third front," he said, reminding that there have been past failed efforts by tall leaders such as Shankarsinh Vaghela and Chimanbhai Patel to create alternative political alliances.

Gohil was critical of the AAP role in the previous Assembly election. "Even though AAP was able to win 11 per cent of the votes, it served to weaken the Congress instead of strengthening the opposition," he told.

High profile leaders of Congress, such as Leader of Opposition Amit Chavda, former state president Jagdish Thakor, and senior leaders like Siddharth Patel, Bharat Singh Solanki, and MLAs Jignesh Mevani and Shailesh Parmar, were present in the meeting.

Gohil restated the Congress stand as Gujarat's principal opposition and presented the move to contest on its own independently as an effort to reassert the party's robustness. "This is a choice in the best interest of the people of Gujarat. We will contest and win these bypolls on our symbol and appeal to voters to support Congress now and once again in 2027 to form a promising alternative government," he said.

AAP, which contested in Gujarat for the first time in 2022 and won five seats, sharply eroded Congress' urban and youth vote share, partly helping the overall decline of the party. Piling onto its woes have been internal fragmentation, absence of grassroots connect, and lack of a strong regional leader.

In spite of all these challenges, Congress still has hold in some rural pockets and among the influential communities like Dalits, tribals, and parts of the OBCs. The party is currently concentrated on consolidating its organisational strength and regaining momentum in view of the 2027 Assembly elections.