Seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs have resigned just five days before the Delhi election, scheduled for February 5th. None received party tickets to contest again.
The MLAs who resigned are Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Rohit Kumar (Trilokpuri), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar), and Bhawna Goud (Palam). BS Joon (Bijwasan) resigned earlier.
In her resignation letter, Palam’s Bhavna Goud expressed disappointment with party chief Arvind Kejriwal, stating, “I have lost faith in you.”
Naresh Yadav, the former Mehrauli candidate, was convicted in a Quran desecration case in December and sentenced to two years in jail. The AAP replaced him with Mahender Chaudhary on its fifth candidate list.
Yadav’s resignation letter accused the AAP of abandoning its principle of “honest politics,” alleging the party had become “entangled in the swamp of corruption,” referencing the Delhi liquor policy case involving Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. He represented Mehrauli for 10 years.
Rohit Kumar, the Trilokpuri MLA, posted on X that he joined AAP during the Anna Hazare movement, hoping for social justice for Dalit and Valmiki communities. He stated the AAP failed to address issues like contract-based labor.
Janakpuri’s Rajesh Rishi also cited disillusionment with the AAP’s departure from its core values, criticizing the party for betraying its principles of corruption-free governance and transparency. He alleged the party has become a “cesspit of nepotism and corruption.”
Vote counting is on February 8th.
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