Setback for AAP as 15 councillors resign from party over
New Delhi [India], May 18 (ANI): In an another setback for the Aam Aadmi Party months after the assembly poll drubbing, 15 councillors in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have resigned from the party's membership and announced the formation of a new party.
The councillors led by Himani Jain and Mukesh Goel flagged internal conflicts behind their resignation. They formed a new political party named the 'Indraprastha Vikas Party.'
Speaking to ANI, Himani Jain and Mukesh Goel stated that no significant work had been completed in the municipal corporation over the past 2.5 years due to internal conflicts.
'We have formed a new party, Indraprastha Vikas Party. We have resigned from AAP. In the last 2.5 years, no work was done in the corporation which should have been done. We were in power, yet we did nothing... We have formed a new party because our ideology is to work for the development of Delhi... We will support the party which will work for the development of Delhi. So far, 15 councillors have resigned. More may join...,' Jain said.
Mukesh Goel said, 'About 15 councillors have resigned from the primary membership of Aam Aadmi Party and formed a new party, Indraprastha Vikas Party. Despite being in power, we could not work for the service of the people of Delhi. We could not work due to internal conflicts...'
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Priyanka Kakkar alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to lure AAP councillors with financial incentives following the resignation of several councillors from the party.
The AAP leader accused the BJP of resorting to such tactics to bolster its position in the municipal body.
Speaking to ANI, Kakkar claimed, 'We had also told during the mayor election how the BJP had offered Rs five crore to our councillors to join their party. This time also they are trying to buy councillors, because the BJP still does not have enough members to form a standing committee or a ward committee, so they are trying these things...' (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
8 minutes ago
- India Today
Voting begins for Assembly bypolls in 4 states, key test for NDA and INDIA bloc
Voting for by-elections to five Assembly seats across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat and Kerala will begin at 7 am today, June 19. Though the number of constituencies is limited, the stakes are significant for both the ruling NDA and the INDIA bloc, with several local-level prestige battles and alliance tensions coming to the AAP AIMS TO RETAIN LUDHIANA WESTIn Ludhiana (West), the bypoll has been scheduled owing to the death of sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi. The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora to retain its hold on the urban seat. Arora faces Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Congress, Jiwan Gupta from BJP, and Parupkar Singh Ghumman from the Shiromani Akali contest is being closely watched not only for the seat itself but for its potential implications for the Rajya Sabha. A win for Arora may open the door for AAP to nominate former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal or his former deputy Manish Sisodia to the Upper House, though the party has denied such plans. Campaigning saw top leaders from both camps in action, with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal, and Atishi backing AAP, and BJP deploying Delhi and Haryana CMs Rekha Gupta and Nayab Singh Saini. Despite having fought the 2024 general elections in an alliance, AAP and Congress are pitted against each other in this crucial BENGAL: KALIGANJ VOTE SHAPED BY MINORITY OUTREACHIn West Bengal, the bypoll in Kaliganj follows the death of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed. The ruling Trinamool Congress has fielded his daughter, Alifa Ahmed, in a move aimed at consolidating both women and minority voters. BJP has fielded Ashish Ghosh, a grassroots party functionary, while the Congress-Left alliance has nominated Kabil Uddin ahead of the 2026 assembly election and amid controversies such as the teacher recruitment scam, the Kaliganj bypoll holds symbolic weight for Mamata Banerjee's party. The TMC, which had wrested the seat from Congress in 2021, is confident of retaining its hold, while the Congress-Left front hopes to revive its rural TRIANGULAR FIGHTS IN KADI AND VISAVADARBypolls in Gujarat are being held in Kadi and Visavadar. In Kadi, the seat fell vacant after the death of BJP MLA Karsanbhai Solanki. BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda, Congress has nominated Ramesh Chavda, and AAP has fielded Jagdish Chavda. The contest could reveal the Dalit community's voting patterns in the saw its sitting MLA Bhayani Bhupendrabhai resign from AAP and join BJP. BJP has now fielded Kirit Patel, while Congress has put up Nitin Ranpariya. AAP has fielded prominent party leader Gopal Italia. The fight is expected to be triangular, with local dynamics and defections playing a key NILAMBUR TURNS INTO MULTI-CORNERED CONTESTIn Nilambur, the bypoll comes less than a year before the next Assembly election in Kerala. The seat was vacated by P.V. Anvar, a two-time winner with Left backing who later aligned with the Congress before eventually entering the fray as an has fielded Aryadan Shoukath, son of former MLA Aryadan Mohammed, while the ruling LDF has named M. Swaraj as its candidate. Anvar's candidacy, initially floated under the TMC banner, has added an unpredictable dimension to the contest. Nilambur, which falls under Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency now held by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has become a prestige seat for both of votes for all five seats will take place on June 23.
Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
Fresh blow to Naxals: Security forces gun down three top Maoist leaders in Andhra Pradesh
VISAKHAPATNAM: CPI (Maoists) in the Andhra-Odisha border (AOB) area suffered a severe jolt on Wednesday as three of its top leaders were killed in an encounter in the forest area of Alluri Sitarama Raju district in AP. Police identified the killed Maoists as special zonal committee (AOBSZC) secretary Gajarla Ravi (alias Uday, alias Ganesh), AOBSZC member and east division secretary Aruna, and area committee member Anju. The encounter took place near Kintukuru village between Maredumilli and Rampachodavaram areas in ASR district. Security forces spotted a group of nine Maoists near Kintukuru, leading to the exchange of fire. Bodies of the three Maoists and three AK-47 rifles were found at the spot after the firing ended. Greyhound teams identified them as Uday, Aruna, and Anju. The same squad, with more than 15 members, escaped twice during combing operations by security forces in the last couple of months. Uday and Aruna carried rewards of Rs 25 lakh and Rs 20 lakh on them, and were accused of orchestrating several killings in AP and Odisha. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Have a Makan Culture Feast! Makan Culture Learn More Undo Greyhounds carry out combing ops Vizag range DIG Gopinath Jetti said the bodies of the three Maoist leaders will be brought to Rampachodavaram hospital for postmortem, and later handed over to their family. Greyhound teams are carrying out combing operations in Maredumilli and Rampachodavaram forest areas for the escaped Maoists, who include district committee member Vijayalakshmi (alias Bhumika), and others. Police sources said CPI (Maoists') top leadership tried to provide support to the AOB committee with a 25-member military squad led by Chelluri Narayana Rao (alias Suresh) a couple of months ago, but security forces foiled their attempts. Uday was an accused in the Balimela ambush in which 37 security personnel were killed, and also other attacks in AP and Odisha. He was the secretary for Malkangiri, Koraput, and Visakhapatnam border (MKVB) division for many years. An ITI diploma holder, Uday later became known as Charchala Ganesh. Maoists operating in the AOB area have suffered serious losses in the past decade, and now their main leadership has been eliminated. Gajarla Ravi (60), from Velisala village in combined Warangal district of Telangana, joined the then People's War Group (PWG) in the 1990s. When the PWG suffered losses in north Telangana, he was sent to AOB in the early 2000s.
India Gazette
16 minutes ago
- India Gazette
"Reason I had him here was...": Trump on meeting Pak COAS General Asim Munir
Washington, DC [US], June 19 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) hosted Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir at the White House for a lunch meeting, praising Munir for his role in preventing the escalation of the conflict between India and Pakistan. Trump said, 'Reason I had him here was I wanted to thank him for not going into the war and ending it...' The luncheon meeting took place amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, with Trump considering possible US involvement. South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman pointed out the significance of the meeting in a post on X. 'Senior US officials often engage with Pakistani Army Chiefs, but rarely is one hosted at the White House by the US President. One of many reasons why Munir's scheduled meeting with Trump is so significant, especially as his administration considers its options regarding the war in Iran,' he posted on X. 'For what it's worth, the scheduled Trump-Munir meeting shouldn't only be seen through the lens of the Israel-Iran war. There's been US-Pak engagement on critical minerals, crypto, and Counter Terrorism. Trump takes a deep personal interest in all of these. And Munir is empowered to talk about it all. Also, Kashmir,' he added. Meanwhile, Trump once again claimed credit for stopping a 'war' between India and Pakistan, while praising both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Army chief General Asim Munir for their roles in de-escalating tensions in May. 'Prime Minister Modi just left a little while ago and we are working a trade deal with India and also with Pakistan... I am so happy. Two very smart people decided not to keep going with the war. Those are two big nuclear powers. I was honoured to meet him today,' said Trump. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Trump late on Tuesday that the ceasefire was achieved through talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries and not US mediation, India's foreign secretary Vikram Misri said earlier on Wednesday. The last Pakistani military leader to meet a sitting U.S. President was General Pervez Musharraf in 2001, who did so as the nation's head of state during his tenure as a military dictator. The Trump-Munir meeting comes after reports speculated on the possibility of Pakistan aiding Iran during its ongoing conflict with Israel. Asim Munir, in a public address in Washington, DC, had declared Pakistan's 'clear and strong' support for Iran in its war with Israel while also backing US efforts to de-escalate the situation. The Dawn reported that one of the most consequential developments during Munir's visit, however, has been Pakistan's strengthened counterterrorism partnership with the United States, particularly against the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) group. Earlier, overseas Pakistanis protested against Field Marshal Asim Munir outside an event at a hotel in Washington, DC. People shouted slogans 'Pakistanio ke Qatil' and 'Islamabad ke Qatil' while Munir was being welcomed at the event. While sharing the video of the protest on X, Pak Tehreek-e-Insaaf (Imran Khan's party) stated, 'Pakistani-Americans in Washington, DC are protesting outside the Four Seasons hotel, reminding General Asim Munir of the crimes he's committed against the people of Pakistan.' The video showed a screen which had Asim Munir's photo along with the message which read, 'Mass Murderer Asim Munir', 'Democracy dies when guns speak', and Asim Munir, your time is up. Pakistan will rise.' (ANI)
