In a significant political blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), six sitting MLAs have resigned just five days before the crucial Delhi elections. The resignations come after the party denied them tickets for the upcoming polls, leading to speculation about internal dissent within the ruling party. The MLAs who stepped down are Naresh Kumar, Rohit Kumar, Rajesh Rishi, Madan Lal, Pawan Sharma, and Bhawna Goud. With this latest wave of resignations, AAP has now lost a total of seven MLAs in the run-up to the elections, as Bhupinder Singh Joon was the first to resign earlier. The sudden exits have raised questions about AAP’s candidate selection process and its internal stability at a critical juncture.
One of the most controversial resignations is that of Naresh Kumar, who was previously AAP’s candidate from Mehrauli. His political career took a hit after he was convicted in a Quran desecration case by a Punjab court in December, resulting in a two-year jail sentence. Following his conviction, AAP removed him from the candidate list and replaced him with Mahender Chaudhary. While some see his resignation as inevitable, others believe that the party’s decision to replace sitting MLAs has caused discontent within its ranks. The broader implications of these exits remain unclear, but they could impact AAP’s prospects in key constituencies.
The mass resignations have provided ammunition to AAP’s political rivals, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, who have accused the Kejriwal-led party of being in crisis mode. BJP leaders argue that the resignations indicate a lack of trust in AAP’s leadership, while Congress has claimed that the party is struggling to retain its core support base. AAP, however, has downplayed the significance of these resignations, maintaining that ticket distribution was based on performance and public feedback. As Delhi heads into the final stretch before the elections on February 5, the political atmosphere has grown increasingly tense, with all major parties trying to capitalize on AAP’s internal shake-up.
