Two key opposition parties are hailing their alliance in Delhi and hoping they can deny Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party a third consecutive clean sweep of the region in the ongoing elections.

Delhi, the administrative heart of India, is a high stakes battle between former bitter rivals, the Indian National Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, now allied against Modi¡¯s Bharatiya Janata Party. The Congress party is contesting three of Delhi¡¯s seven constituencies, with the AAP fielding candidates in the other four.

¡°In the symbol of the hand, there is a broom,¡± Rahul Gandhi, a top leader in the Congress party, told supporters at a political rally last week in Delhi, referring to the electoral symbols of the two parties.