A setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has come in the form of eight MLAs who were denied tickets and resigned from the party just five days before the Assembly elections.
The legislators, including Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Bhawna Goud (Palam), Rohit Kumar Mehraulia (Trilokpuri), B.S. Joon (Bijwasan), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar), and Girish Soni (Madipur), resigned from the party's primary membership as well as the Assembly by submitting formal letters to former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Speaker.
Naresh Yadav, AAP MLA from Mehrauli, announced his resignation on X. Disappointed, he criticized AAP for deviating from its founding principles.
"AAP was born out of the Anna movement against corruption, but today, it is engulfed in the very corruption it once opposed," Yadav said.
"I joined AAP for honest politics, but honesty is now missing. I have served Mehrauli with integrity for the past 10 years, and the people know I have always prioritized good governance."
Yadav claimed that after consulting with his constituents, he found widespread disillusionment with the party's current direction. "The people of Delhi see that AAP has embraced corruption," he alleged.
Expressing gratitude to his supporters, Yadav vowed to continue politics with honesty and good governance. "I request my people's support in the future too," he added.
Rohit Kumar Mehraulia expressed his discontent on 'X', stating that he had joined AAP during the Anna Hazare movement in the hope of securing social justice for the Dalit and Valmiki communities, who have been discriminated against and exploited for long.
Mehraulia raised a pertinent criticism of AAP, accusing the leadership of having remained silent on a critical issue about contract-based labor, which had come to a complete halt in his community, as well as all temporary employees getting permanent job positions. In this context, he also charged that the political leadership was simply using his caste to garner votes, while simultaneously crushing every attempt by Mehraulia to raise concerns before them.
MLA Rajesh Rishi of Janakpuri also resigned, saying that he was greatly pained to see AAP diverge from its initial ideals and values.
In his resignation letter, Rishi stated that the party had been betraying its core principle of corruption-free governance and transparency, for which it was founded. A former Anna Hazare supporter against corruption, he accused AAP of ceasing its commitment to fighting corruption and called it a "cesspit of nepotism and corruption."
He also mentioned how the party had failed to honor the sacrifices of its workers, including the case of Santosh Koli, whose death he felt was exploited for political gain. Rishi concluded that the party, once a beacon of integrity, had become an “unruly gang," betraying the trust of its supporters.
Other MLAs who resigned have also issued public statements and shared their decisions on social media.
With the February 5 polls drawing nearer, AAP, BJP, and Congress have all pulled out all the stops to garner support from voters in this high-stakes election. The final outcome of this crucial contest will be known on February 8, when the votes will be counted.
Read also| Nadda Strongly Condemns Sonia Gandhi’s ‘Poor Thing’ Remark About President Murmu
Read also| Rashtrapati Bhavan Calls Sonia Gandhi’s ‘Poor Thing’ Remark Unfortunate and Unacceptable