After losing its home turf, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) underwent a major rejijg on Friday as it appointed former Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj as its Delhi unit president, replacing Gopal Rai, while former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been appointed as the Punjab unit chief, marking another strategic position aimed at strengthening AAP’s presence in the state.
According to AAP, former Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai will head Gujarat. Pankaj Gupta will lead its Goa unit. The decisions were made during a meeting of the AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) at the residence of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal, in a post on X, congratulated the party leaders on being given the new responsibilities.
AAP General Secretary (Organisation) Sandeep Pathak, after the PAC meeting, said Gopal Rai would now be in charge of Gujarat, where the party is aiming to expand its base.
Pathak, a Rajya Sabha MP, has been named in charge of the AAP’s Chhattisgarh unit, while Pankaj Gupta will lead the party’s Goa chapter.
Punjab, Gujarat and Goa will hold Assembly elections in two years. Mehraj Malik has been named the new chief of the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit.
The party has also appointed co-in-charges for the state units, including Satyendar Jain for Punjab, Durgesh Pathak for Gujarat, and Ankush Narang, Abhash Chandela, and Deepak Singhla for Goa.
Bharadwaj said that in the Delhi Assembly polls, AAP received around 43.5 percent of the votes, which was just two percent less than that of the BJP. “Even in these circumstances, half of Delhi voted for AAP,” he told reporters. “We have to take care of them as well as those who voted for the BJP and strengthen the party.”
The new AAP chief for the Delhi unit said that organisation building is easier after a defeat because many people join the party at the time of victory, but those who stick together even in defeat are pure gold. “We will strengthen the party and expand the organisation,” he said.Sisodia, in a post on X, thanked Kejriwal and the party leadership for giving him the responsibility to work as in-charge of Punjab.” “My endeavor will be that all AAP leaders, workers, and the government, under the leadership of @BhagwantMann ji, together fulfill the expectations of the people of Punjab and live up to their trust,” he said.
The former Deputy Chief Minister in the AAP government in Delhi mentioned that the affection of the people in Punjab is his inspiration. “The results of the AAP government’s work in Punjab are visible now, and it’s time to give rocket speed to this change,” he added.
Sisodia said there have been a lot of developments in Punjab after the party formed the government in the state.
“The AAP government will continue to work for the welfare of the people of Punjab and will ensure that every dedicated worker of the AAP feels proud to be a part of the party. The people of Punjab respect Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann a lot.”
The former deputy chief minister also questioned the delay in granting Rs 2,500 monthly assistance by the BJP government in Delhi.
“This didn’t happen, which means the prime minister had lied to the people of Delhi. PM Modi had even promised to provide free cylinders on Holi, but even this didn’t happen. Will BJP fulfil even one of its promises?” Sisodia asked.
The latest development comes after the AAP lost the Delhi Assembly Elections in February winning just 22 of the 70 seats. The BJP ended its 27-year exile from power in the national Capital, bagging 48 seats in the House.
