Congress has virtually ruled out alliance with AAP, says Kejriwal

The Congress has "more or less" ruled out an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, a day after he had participated in a meeting with opposition leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Responding to a question on an alliance with the Congress, he said it has "more or less ruled out the alliance (with AAP)".

Asked whether the AAP was more eager for an alliance with the Congress, he said the Bharatiya Janata Party would benefit in a three-cornered contest.

Moving forward on a united anti-BJP front for the Lok Sabha elections, top opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday agreed to work together to prepare a common minimum programme to oust the Modi government and to consider forging a pre-poll alliance.

The meeting, hosted by Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar at his residence in New Delhi, also saw Congress chief Gandhi and Kejriwal coming together for the first time.