Delhi Government’s Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot has resigned from his post. Apart from resigning from the ministerial post, Ashok Gehlo also resigned from the primary membership of the Aam Aadmi Party by writing a letter to Arvind Kejriwal. Before Kailash Gehlot, many leaders, including a Delhi government minister, quit the Aam Aadmi Party this year. If we talk about the time since the last elections in Delhi, the list of leaders leaving the Aam Aadmi Party becomes even longer. Let’s look at those leaders.
Kailash Gehlot
Kailash Gehlot, who was a minister in the Delhi government until a day ago, is one of the former leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party. Kailash Gehlot was first elected MLA in 2015 on the Aam Aadmi Party ticket and has since been among the leaders closest to Arvind Kejriwal and powerful ministers in the Delhi government.
Apart from transportation, Kailash Gehlot has also looked after important departments like finance. After Manish Sisodia went to jail, Kailash Gehlot presented the Delhi government’s budget for 2023-24. After Kejriwal’s resignation from the post of Delhi CM, Kailash’s name was included in the race for the new Chief Minister. However, he fell behind Atishi in this race and has now resigned from his position as a senior member of the Aam Aadmi Party to take up the post of minister in the Delhi government.
Rajendra Pal Gautam
Just a few months before Kailash Gehlot quit the Aam Aadmi Party, a former minister in the Delhi government had also resigned as a senior member of the party. Former minister Rajendra Pal Gautam had resigned as a senior member of the Aam Aadmi Party in the first week of September. Rajendra Pal Gautam was one of the great Dalit faces of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. Rajendra Pal Gautam was elected assembly member from Seemapuri seat in the 2020 assembly elections. After leaving the Aam Aadmi Party, he joined the Congress.
Rajkumar Anand
Rajkumar Gautam, who was a minister in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government, had quit the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Rajkumar Anand had resigned from his ministership when the then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was in jail. He joined the BJP in April. Dalit leader Rajkumar Anand had also contested the assembly elections on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket. However, he was then defeated.
Kartar Singh Tanwar
Kartar Singh Tanwar was elected MLA from Chhatarpur assembly seat in the 2020 Delhi elections. Kartar Singh Tanwar also quit the Aam Aadmi Party a few months ago and joined the BJP. The Assembly Speaker had disqualified Kartar as a member of the Assembly under the anti-defection law. After Rajkumar Anand, Rajendra Pal Gautam and Kartar Singh Tanwar, now Kailash Gehlot has left the party. Of these four faces, two are Dalit leaders. It is noteworthy that Dalits are considered the Aam Aadmi Party’s core voters in Delhi.
Also read: Closeness with lieutenant governor, CBI-ED investigation… Was Kailash Gehlot’s resignation certain or was the decision taken suddenly?
Swati Maliwal also rebelled
Apart from these leaders leaving the party, former Delhi Women Commission chairperson Swati Maliwal is also continuously displaying a rebellious attitude against Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party. After Kejriwal came out of jail on bail, Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal went to CM House to meet him, where an incident of assault against him allegedly took place. Since then, Swati has continuously protested against Kejriwal and his party inside and outside Parliament.
Also Read: Kailash Gehlot may join BJP today, resigned from AAP 24 hours ago, bid farewell to ministerial post.
What is the reason for the shock before the elections?
In the year leading up to the Delhi Assembly elections, four leaders quitting the party and one leader continually displaying a rebellious attitude is seen as a major blow to the Aam Aadmi Party. In fact, the opposition BJP is cornering the Aam Aadmi Party on the issue of corruption. The political journey of Aam Aadmi Party as a political party began on the basis of corruption. Be it the allegations of leaders quitting the party or Swati Maliwal’s harsh statements, all this seems to be in line with the opposition parties and may add to the Aam Aadmi Party’s woes in the elections.
