8 AAP MLAs Resign Ahead of Delhi Elections

Eight Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs resigned on Friday after being denied tickets for the upcoming Delhi Assembly election. The legislators, who were part of Arvind Kejriwal’s party, cited various reasons for their exit, including allegations of corruption, deviation from core principles, and unfulfilled promises.

Who Are the MLAs Who Quit?

The eight legislators who resigned from AAP are:

• Girish Soni (Madipur) – Expressed disappointment with the party’s internal affairs, questioning its commitment to its founding ideals. In his resignation post on X, he referenced controversies like “Sheeshmahal” and asked, “Are we widespread people anymore?”
• Rohit Kumar Mehraulia (Trilokpuri) – Accused AAP of failing to fulfill promises made to the Dalit/Valmiki community and exploiting them for political gain. He resigned from all positions, citing neglect of employment-related issues.
• Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar) – Stated that he had lost faith in AAP and its leadership after being denied a ticket.
• Bhavna Gaur (Palam) – Announced her resignation on X, stating that she had “lost faith” in Arvind Kejriwal and the party. She shared a picture of her written resignation letter.
• Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri) – Criticized AAP for straying from its founding principles of corruption-free governance, transparency, and accountability.
• Pawan Kumar Sharma (Adarsh Nagar) – Declared that AAP had abandoned its original ideology, saying, “The party’s state deeply saddens me. Please accept my resignation.”
• BS Joon (Bijwasan) – Cited “significant deviation” from the party’s core values and accused AAP of becoming increasingly centralized, opaque, and undemocratic.
• Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli) – Alleged that AAP was now “fully immersed in corruption.” Speaking to ANI, he recalled joining the party with the vision of making India corruption-free but claimed that AAP had failed in its mission.

AAP’s Electoral Strategy

The Kejriwal-led party is contesting all 70 seats in Delhi’s upcoming election, scheduled for February 5, with vote counting on February 8. AAP dropped 20 sitting MLAs from its candidate list, replacing some with leaders from the BJP and Congress.

These resignations mark a significant political shake-up ahead of the crucial Delhi Assembly elections.