7 AAP MLAs resign citing corruption and misgovernance ahead of Delhi polls

7 AAP MLAs resign: Ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered its biggest setback yet as seven sitting MLAs resigned from the party citing corruption in the party leadership and lack of faith in the party’s core principles.

The MLAs who resigned include Bhavana Gaur (Palam), Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Rohit Mehraulia (Trilokpuri), Bhupinder Singh Joon (Bijwasan) and Pawan Sharma (Adarsh ​​Nagar). However, none of them have been given a party ticket for the elections. Most of the MLAs in their resignation letters have expressed disappointment over the party’s growing involvement in corruption.

Naresh Yadav wrote in his resignation letter, “I joined Aam Aadmi Party for honesty. But today I do not see that honesty anywhere. I spoke to many people from my Mehrauli constituency and most of them believe that AAP is completely involved in corruption.” Yadav, who was sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Punjab’s Malerkotla in December 2024 in the 2016 Quran desecration case, had earlier announced that he would not contest elections until he was acquitted.

He had publicly requested AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal not to field him as a candidate. Bijwasan MLA Bhupinder Singh Joon also expressed concern. He wrote in his resignation letter, “AAP should have been an absolutely transparent, people-centric organization to root out corruption and promote ethics of governance. But it has gradually moved towards centralism and loss of internal democracy.”

Bhupinder Singh Joon also attacked the party for diluting its earlier stand of not allowing people with criminal records to enter electoral politics. “The AAP had initially taken a very tough stand against giving tickets or membership to people with criminal backgrounds. However, it has now decided to field a candidate from Bijwasan who has several criminal cases registered against him, including offences of moral turpitude,” he said.

This mass resignation of MLAs comes at a crucial time when the AAP is preparing to face a tough electoral battle in Delhi. The allegations of corruption and mismanagement could affect the party’s reputation, as the AAP has prided itself in the past for clean politics and transparency.

This move could be seen as damaging the voter base of the AAP, especially those who have supported the party for its anti-corruption stance. With the Delhi Assembly elections approaching, it remains to be seen how the AAP deals with this crisis and whether it is able to reassure its voters of its commitment to honest governance.