With just five days remaining for the Delhi Assembly elections, seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs resigned on Friday in a big blow to the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.
The MLAs decided to quit after they were denied tickets to contest the election again.
The resignations include Rohit Mehraulia from Trilokpuri constituency, Madan Lal from Kasturba Nagar, Rajesh Rishi from Janakpuri, Bhavna Gaur from Palam, Pawan Sharma from Adarsh Nagar. Also, Bhupinder Singh Joon, MLA from Bijwasan stepped down from the post.
आम आदमी पार्टी की प्राथमिक सदस्यता से मैंने दिया इस्तीफ़ा। @AAPDelhi @AamAadmiParty @ANI @PTI_News @NishuPriyank @aajtak pic.twitter.com/8RFMAIXxVS
— Bhavna Gaur - MLA Delhi (@Palamvidhansabh) January 31, 2025
Naresh Yadav, who had served as an MLA from Mehrauli for two consecutive terms, also quit the party.
Several among those who resigned from the party slammed AAP over corruption and other issues. Yadav was convicted by a Punjab court in a Quran desecration case in December, He was sentenced to two years in jail.
AAP in its fifth list of candidates announced Mahender Chaudhary from Mehrauli seat.
Yadav in his resignation letter announced that AAP abandoned its "honest politics". He also alleged corruption in the party.
While Rohit in his letter stated that he joined the party hoping to secure social justice for Dalit and Valmiki communities. He added that AAP promised to uplift these communities but failed to do so.
Meanwhile, AAP is yet to officially respond to the latest development ahead of the polls.
Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 5 and the votes counted on February 8.
