AAP struggling to stem discontent, Kejriwal's focus is Punjab

Time of India

17-05-2025

New Delhi: The desertion by 15 of AAP councillors has trained the spotlight on the issue being debated in party circles as to the loss of power in Delhi has left the once-formidable Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit struggling to stem discontent in its ranks and keep the flock together.
Since the Delhi results, AAP supremo and former Delhi CM Kejriwal has largely stayed away from the limelight in the capital, while leader of opposition Atishi and Delhi AAP convenor Saurabh Bharadwaj are mostly steering the party's charge against the governing dispensation, BJP, to try and play the role of an effective opposition in the assembly and outside.
Though Kejriwal has been on and off putting out social media posts on issues affecting Delhi, his direct engagements in the capital have mainly included a motivational interaction with sitting and former AAP MLAs after the Delhi elections and a show of strength at the party's headquarters on March 23 to mark 'Shaheedi Diwas' to pay homage to martyrs Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev where he addressed all senior leaders, MLAs, councillors and workers.
Kejriwal is mostly seen focusing on Punjab and the party's plans to strengthen its organisation in other states like Gujarat. On Saturday too, Kejriwal, while addressing a public meeting in Punjab, highlighted how the CM Bhagwant Mann-led govt was fighting the drug menace with all its might and addressing other concerns. Punjab, which goes to polls early 2027, is the only state where AAP is in office.
Meanwhile, Delhi buzzed with the story of the AAP-BJP tussle in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
The corporation has always been at the core of Delhi electoral battles with ward councillors often holding the key to bigger wins in assembly and parliamentary polls. The latest resignation of 15 councillors, who have formed an outfit Indraprastha Vikas Party, is, hence, bad news for AAP — the party had won 134 out of the 250 wards in 2022 municipal polls but resignations since that year and those on Saturday has brought its number down to 98 in the MCD House.
BJP members in the House have increased from 104 to 117.
The councillors who resigned cited stalled development work and growing discontent for taking the step. As they announced the formation of Indraprastha Vikas Party, AAP, in a statement, alleged that BJP was behind the resignations and has been "indulging in horsetrading since the mayoral elections".
Though there was no statement from Kejriwal on the issue till the time of the report going to the press, AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar articulated the party's official position, saying it was "BJP's calculated and corrupt campaign to engineer the defection of the AAP councillors".
Mukesh Goel, a former Congress councillor who switched to AAP ahead of the 2022 polls, will be heading this new party. In his statements to the media on justifying the decision to resign from AAP, Goel alleged that since the municipal polls no development work has been carried out and that AAP was too busy with internal conflicts and blamegames.
These resignations also brings into focus another concern of how AAP had over the years embraced politicians from all sides who flocked to it because it was governing the capital.
But with the defeat in the assembly polls, the glue that held them together is missing.
Meanwhile, with AAP's reduced strength in the MCD and the fight with BJP only set to get bitter, the way forward is clearly not going to be easy as and the challenge of stemming unrest to prevent more councillors from leaving is even more grave now. With the next municipal polls scheduled for the end of 2027, these two years will be crucial for AAP to put its house in order.