Delhi Election: After AAP Cuts Ticket, Seelampur MLA Joins Congress; More Exits To Follow While Party Plans Accommodating Incumbents

Since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has not repeated any incumbent member of the legislative (MLA) assembly among its 31 declared candidates, many leaders are expected to leave the Arvind Kejriwal-led party.

The first exit came in the form of Seelampur MLA Abdul Rehman, who left the party and joined Congress over a month after resigning as the head of AAP's minority wing.

The AAP had fielded Chaudhry Zubair Ahmad from Seelampur in its first candidate list, who joined the party along with his wife leaving Congress in October this year.

Rehman declared his resignation from minority wing post after Zubair, the son of five-term former Congress MLA Chaudhry Mateen Ahmad, was inducted into the AAP.

In the 2020 Delhi elections, Rehman decisively won the Seelampur seat by garnering over 72,000 votes, a lead of more than 36,920 votes against his BJP opponent who secured just over 35,000 votes.

With a reliance on their future loyalty, AAP representatives from Delhi, who have been, or will soon be, removed, will find a place in the party's growing national organisational structure, they say.

Following the cancellation of their tickets, the party plans to employ its MLAs within the city's organisation for the impending Delhi elections. In the future, these leaders, particularly those responsible for other states.

In the two rosters released to date, the AAP has removed its Matiala MLA Gulab Singh and Timarpur legislator Dilip Pandey. Both individuals have fulfilled organisational responsibilities within and outside the city.

Singh held dual roles for the AAP in Gujarat as both the state and election campaign in-charge for the 2022 elections, while Pandey served as the Delhi Convener for the party.

In addition to these roles, Pandey was also in charge of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and was involved in the party's organisational activities in Uttar Pradesh.