Congress, AAP take alliance debate online

The back and forth between the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party continued on Monday, as the two discussed the issue of a possible tie-up in Delhi but didn't offer any clarification. Congress president Rahul Gandhi set the ball rolling by accusing AAP of taking a U-turn on a possible alliance.

"An alliance between Congress and AAP in Delhi would mean a rout of the BJP. Congress is willing to give up four seats in Delhi to the AAP to ensure this. But Mr Kejriwal has done yet another U-turn! Our doors are still open, but the clock is running out," he said on Twitter.

Within minutes, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal responded, saying Congress's offer is just a "pretence". "Your tweet goes to prove that the alliance isn't your wish but just a pretence. I am sad that you're doing a slugfest. The nation needs to be saved from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah's danger. It's a misfortune that in Uttar Pradesh and other regions, you're helping Modi by dividing anti-Modi votes," he said.

Talks of an alliance between the two have been going on for two months, but without a conclusion. While Congress was keen only on the alliance in Delhi, AAP wanted one in Haryana and Punjab as well.

The seat-sharing arrangement of four seats for AAP and three for Congress in Delhi was calculated on the basis of the parties' voteshare in the 2017 municipal polls.