7 AAP MLAs resign days before Delhi polls

New Delhi: In a major setback for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), seven MLAs resigned just five days before the Delhi elections, citing loss of faith in party leader Arvind Kejriwal. None of the resigning MLAs were given tickets to contest in the 5 February election.

The MLAs who resigned include Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Rohit Kumar (Trilokpuri), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar), Bhawna Goud (Palam), and BS Joon (Bijwasan), with Joon being the first to step down.

In her resignation, Bhawna Goud expressed her disappointment with Kejriwal, saying, “I have lost faith in you.” Naresh Yadav, who was convicted in a Quran desecration case in December, criticized the party for deviating from its founding principles of “honest politics” and becoming corrupt.

Rohit Kumar Mehraulia, in a social media post, expressed his disillusionment with AAP’s failure to fulfill promises made during the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, particularly regarding the upliftment of Dalit and Valmiki communities and the regularization of contract-based labor. Rajesh Rishi also cited growing discontent with the party’s departure from its core values.