7 MLAs Resign From Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP

Seven legislators from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have stepped down just days before the Delhi elections. Their resignations come after they were not given tickets to contest again.

The departing MLAs include Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Rohit Kumar (Trilokpuri), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar), and Bhawna Goud (Palam). BS Joon (Bijwasan) was the first to submit his resignation.

Bhawna Goud, the MLA from Palam, expressed her disappointment in a resignation letter addressed to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, stating, “I have lost faith in you.”

Naresh Yadav, previously the Mehrauli candidate, was convicted in December in a Quran desecration case by a Punjab court and sentenced to two years in prison. AAP’s fifth candidate list for the Delhi election, scheduled for February 5, replaced him with Mahender Chaudhary.

In his resignation, Naresh Yadav criticized AAP for deviating from its founding principle of “honest politics.” He accused the party of failing to combat corruption and instead becoming entangled in it, referencing the Delhi liquor policy case that saw former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy CM Manish Sisodia jailed. Yadav represented Mehrauli for a decade.

Rohit Kumar Mehraulia, the Trilokpuri MLA, shared on X that he joined AAP inspired by the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, aiming to secure justice for Dalit and Valmiki communities. However, he claimed the party had not fulfilled its promises, including the abolition of contract-based labor and job security for temporary workers.

Rajesh Rishi of Janakpuri also voiced his disillusionment, stating that AAP had drifted from its core values. He criticized the party for failing to uphold its founding principles of corruption-free governance and transparency. A former supporter of Anna Hazare’s movement, Rishi alleged that AAP had become a “hub of nepotism and corruption.”

The vote count is set for February 8.