The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a political blow on Saturday when 13 of its Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) councillors resigned and announced the formation of a new political outfit. The group, led by senior councillor Mukesh Goyal, will be called the Indraprastha Vikas Party . Goyal cited no development and growing discontent within AAP as the primary reasons for the breakaway.
"In the two and a half years since our election, no development work has been carried out. The party (AAP) was too busy with internal conflicts and blame games," Goyal said. He stressed that the new party will remain focused on municipal-level work and will not participate in state politics for now.
Veteran municipal leader Hemchand Goyal and former AAP councillors Dinesh Bharadwaj, Himani Jain, Usha Sharma, Sahib Kumar, Rakhi Kumar, Ashok Pandey, Rajesh Kumar and Anil Rana are among those who have joined the new group.
Reacting strongly, AAP alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was behind the resignations. “Since the mayoral election, BJP has been trying to lure our councillors. Each one was offered Rs 5 crore,” AAP claimed. The party accused BJP of engineering the defections to gain control over MCD committees.
With these resignations, AAP’s strength has dropped from 113 to 100 in the 250-member MCD. BJP, which now holds 117 seats, emerges as the largest group. Congress remains a minor player with just 8 councillors.
It’s important to note that the anti-defection law does not apply to municipal bodies like the MCD, making such political shifts legally permissible.
"In the two and a half years since our election, no development work has been carried out. The party (AAP) was too busy with internal conflicts and blame games," Goyal said. He stressed that the new party will remain focused on municipal-level work and will not participate in state politics for now.
#WATCH | Delhi | On his resignation from the AAP, party councillor Mukesh Goel says, "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… pic.twitter.com/un3D49WEXQ
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2025
Veteran municipal leader Hemchand Goyal and former AAP councillors Dinesh Bharadwaj, Himani Jain, Usha Sharma, Sahib Kumar, Rakhi Kumar, Ashok Pandey, Rajesh Kumar and Anil Rana are among those who have joined the new group.
Fifteen municipal councillors from the Aam Aadmi Party have submitted their resignations and announced the formation of a third front named Indraprastha Vikas Party. The new front will be led by Hemchand Goyal. Key councillors involved include Mukesh Goyal, Himani Jain, Devendra… pic.twitter.com/q8ahjtAzzn
— IANS (@ians_india) May 17, 2025
Reacting strongly, AAP alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was behind the resignations. “Since the mayoral election, BJP has been trying to lure our councillors. Each one was offered Rs 5 crore,” AAP claimed. The party accused BJP of engineering the defections to gain control over MCD committees.
With these resignations, AAP’s strength has dropped from 113 to 100 in the 250-member MCD. BJP, which now holds 117 seats, emerges as the largest group. Congress remains a minor player with just 8 councillors.
It’s important to note that the anti-defection law does not apply to municipal bodies like the MCD, making such political shifts legally permissible.
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