Jolt to AAP as ex-councillor, several leaders join Congress

In a fresh jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), former councillor advocate Anil Gautam, along with a large number of AAP workers and leaders from the Rohtas Nagar Assembly segment, joined the Delhi Congress on Tuesday.

The induction took place at the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) office in the presence of DPCC president Devender Yadav.

Welcoming the new members, Yadav honoured them with Congress scarfs and said more AAP leaders were realising the “hollowness” of the party’s promises and returning to the Congress, which is steadily rebuilding its base in the Capital.

The event was attended by several senior party functionaries, including AICC Delhi in-charge Qazi Nizamuddin, former ministers Narendra Nath and Anil Bhardwaj, PP Mittal, district president Rajkumar Jain, Lok Sabha observer advocate Sunil Kumar, Dr PK Mishra and advocate DP Tyagi.

Yadav said though Gautam had contested the last MCD elections on the AAP ticket, he was always aligned with the core values and ideology of the Congress.

“Gautam has reposed faith in the dynamic leadership of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and the vision of Rahul Gandhi. Many like him are disillusioned with the AAP’s corrupt and absentee leadership,” said Yadav.

He alleged that the AAP leadership had “deserted Delhi after enjoying power and pushing corruption to new heights,” adding that the Congress remains the only viable alternative for the people of Delhi.

Delhi’s only transgender councillor quits AAP, joins Indraprastha Vikas Party

In yet another setback for the AAP, Sultanpuri Ward No. 43 councillor Bobby Kinnar on Tuesday resigned from the party and joined the newly-formed Indraprastha Vikas Party. Her resignation comes amid rising dissatisfaction among AAP’s municipal ranks following the party’s poor show in the recently held Delhi Assembly elections and ongoing discontent within the MCD.

Bobby Kinnar, the only transgender councillor in the MCD, announced her departure during a press conference at the Civic Centre in the presence of senior Indraprastha Vikas Party leaders, including Mukesh Goel, Hemchand Goel, Sanjay Sharma and Anil Rana. Handing over her resignation letter, she accused AAP leaders of treating her like a “bonded labourer” for the past two and a half years.

“In 2022, I was elected on the AAP ticket. Despite being in power in the MCD, the party leadership failed to run the corporation efficiently. There was almost no coordination between senior leaders and councillors, which led to our downfall and betrayal of public trust,” she said in her resignation letter.

Kinnar said she no longer wished to remain associated with a party that could not honour its commitments to the people.

Welcoming her into the new party, senior councilor Mukesh Goel said: “Bobby Kinnar’s induction into the Indraprastha Vikas Party is just the beginning. Several more councillors are in touch with us and are keen to join the party because they want to work for the people, something they haven’t been able to do under the current system.”

Goel said his party would support any initiative in the MCD that benefits the public, regardless of which side proposes it. “We are committed to working on people-centric issues. Whether the proposal comes from the ruling side or the opposition, we’ll support it, if it helps Delhiites,” he said.