Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, eight lawmakers from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have resigned, citing dissatisfaction with the party’s direction and internal practices. Their resignations come after being denied tickets to contest the upcoming elections.
In their resignation letters, the MLAs expressed concerns about the party’s departure from the values on which it was founded, including corruption-free governance, transparency, and accountability. They accused the party leadership of embracing centralization, opacity, and failing to uphold internal democracy.
The resigning MLAs include Naresh Yadav from Mehrauli, Rohit Kumar from Trilokpuri, Madan Lal from Kasturba Nagar, Rajesh Rishi from Janakpuri, Bhavna Gaud from Palam, Bhupinder Singh Joon from Bijwasan, Pawan Kumar Sharma from Adarsh Nagar, and Girish Soni from Madipur.
Madan Lal and Bhavna Gaud both resigned from their positions and as primary members of AAP, stating that they had “lost faith” in the party and its leadership, particularly Arvind Kejriwal.
Rohit Kumar, MLA from Trilokpuri, stepped down from all roles, accusing the party of neglecting the Dalit/Valmiki community and exploiting their issues for political gain without addressing key concerns like ending contract employment.
Rajesh Rishi from Janakpuri also resigned, accusing AAP of betraying its core principles of transparent and accountable governance.
Pawan Kumar Sharma from Adarsh Nagar expressed sadness over the party’s shift away from its original values, stating, “I am very sad to see the plight of the Aam Aadmi Party.”
Bhupinder Singh Joon from Bijwasan echoed similar concerns, noting the party’s drift towards centralization and lack of internal democracy. “AAP was founded on the promise of transparent, people-centric governance, but that vision has been undermined,” he wrote in his resignation letter.
With the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 5 and the vote counting set for February 8, the resignations add to the political drama in the final days leading up to the polls.