Seven AAP MLAs Resign Ahead of Delhi Election, Cite Betrayal of Party’s Ideals

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 31st Jan. In a major political jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) just five days before the Delhi Assembly election, seven of its sitting MLAs have resigned after being denied tickets for re-election.

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

Naresh Yadav, who previously represented Mehrauli, was convicted in December in a Quran desecration case by a Punjab court and sentenced to two years in jail. AAP replaced him with Mahender Chaudhary in its candidate list. In his resignation letter, Yadav accused the party of abandoning its foundational values of “honest politics,” alleging that instead of eradicating corruption, it had become embroiled in it—referring to the Delhi liquor policy case that saw former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy CM Manish Sisodia jailed.

“I have lost faith in you,” Yadav wrote, addressing Kejriwal.

Rohit Kumar Mehraulia, the outgoing Trilokpuri MLA, also resigned, expressing disappointment over AAP’s failure to deliver on its promises for Dalit and Valmiki communities. He accused the party of neglecting key issues like scrapping contract-based labour and ensuring job security for temporary workers.

The mass resignations come as a significant setback for AAP, raising questions about internal discontent and its electoral prospects ahead of the February 5 polls.