In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), eight MLAs have resigned, ahead of the coming Delhi Assembly polls on February 5. The MLAs who resigned are Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Rohit Kumar (Trilokpuri), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Girish Soni (Madipur), Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar), and Bhawna Goud (Palam). Sources said these MLAs were disgruntled after being denied tickets for the February 5 polls and were touch with other parties. BS Joon (Bijwasan) was the first AAP MLA who gave his papers. Most of the MLAs shared their resignation letters on social media and slammed AAP over corruption and other issues.
Reacting to the development, South Delhi BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said the ship of Aam Aadmi Party is sinking, that is why seven MLAs have resigned from the party.
He said that when the ship of a party like Aam Aadmi Party starts sinking, then a situation of stampede is created in the party. “The same is happening with AAP,” he said
Madan Lal, the outgoing MLA from Kasturba Nagar, claimed on Friday that he and six other party MLAs had resigned from AAP’s primary membership. Lal said they had also sent their resignation letters to Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel.
Palam’s Bhavna Goud in her resignation letter directed her disappointment at party chief Arvind Kejriwal. “I have lost faith in you,” the MLA said. Naresh Yadav was earlier the Mehrauli candidate. He was convicted by a Punjab court in a Quran desecration case in December and sentenced to two-year jail. When the AAP released its fifth list of candidates for the Delhi election, to be held on February 5, the party announced Mahender Chaudhary as its Mehrauli candidate, replacing Naresh Yadav.
In a letter addressed to party convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Yadav said, “I dedicated my entire life to politics and worked under your leadership with utmost honesty and dedication. I made every effort to realize your vision and also contributed 100% to fulfilling the responsibilities given to me. However, today, the party has drifted from its core ideology, and good people who want to work honestly are being sidelined, while those involved in corrupt practices are being given a place in the organization.” He represented south Delhi’s Mehrauli constituency for 10 years. Yadav, was convicted convicted and sentenced to a two-year term in November by a Punjab court in the 2016 Quran desecration case. While the AAP had announced him as its candidate despite the conviction.
Bhupinder Singh Joon, who was replaced from Bijwasan, said, “The voices of sincere workers and public representatives are often sidelined, and critical decisions are made without consultation or consensus. Moreover, the focus on self-promotion rather than addressing core public issues has become deeply disheartening.”
Rohit Kumar Mehraulia, the Trilokpuri MLA who resigned today, in a post on X said he joined AAP during the Anna Hazare-led movement against corruption, with the hope of securing social justice for the Dalit and Valmiki communities.
Mehraulia said the AAP promised to uplift these communities, but failed to address crucial issues such as scrapping contract-based labour and ensuring temporary workers are absorbed permanently.
Janakpuri’s Rajesh Rishi also cited growing disenchantment with what he called the AAP’s departure from its core values. In his resignation letter, he criticised the AAP for betraying the principles of corruption-free governance and transparency it was founded on. Rishi, another former supporter of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, alleged the party has become a “cesspit of nepotism and corruption.”
The AAP’s candidate list for the upcoming Delhi elections shows that the party has fielded new candidates, including Mukesh Goel from Adarsh Nagar, Pravin Kumar from Janakpuri, Surendra Bhardwaj from Bijwasan, and Joginder Solanki from Palam, replacing the resigning MLAs.
Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 5 and the votes counted on February 8.
