In a big blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), 13 of its councillors resigned on Saturday and announced the formation of a new political outfit named the Indraprastha Vikas Party.
The councillors cited a lack of development and growing dissatisfaction within the party as key reasons for their decision.
Formation of a New Party
Senior AAP councillor Mukesh Goyal, who will lead the newly formed Indraprastha Vikas Party, told PTI that despite being elected over two and a half years ago, developmental work in the city had been at a standstill.
“There has been no meaningful progress. AAP has been consumed by internal power struggles and blame games,” Goyal stated.
He added that councillors were not allocated proper budgets to carry out development projects in their wards. Goyal emphasised that the new party would focus on local civic issues and public welfare, and clarified that their initiative is limited to the municipal level, not state politics.
Other prominent names joining the new party include Hemchand Goyal, a veteran in Delhi’s municipal politics, along with former AAP councillors Dinesh Bharadwaj, Himani Jain, Usha Sharma, Sahib Kumar, Rakhi Kumar, Ashok Pandey, Rajesh Kumar, and Anil Rana.
AAP Cries Foul, Blames BJP
The Aam Aadmi Party responded by alleging that the BJP orchestrated the defections as part of a broader plan to poach AAP councillors. According to AAP, each councillor was allegedly offered ₹5 crore to switch allegiance.
“Ever since the mayoral elections, the BJP has been aggressively trying to lure our councillors. They don’t have the numbers to control the Standing Committee or ward committees, so they’re resorting to horse-trading,” AAP claimed in an official statement.
AAP further asserted that the BJP, having failed to openly buy councillors during the mayoral polls, was now disguising its strategy by presenting the defections as a new political formation.
Political Fallout
With the exit of these 13 councillors, AAP’s strength in the 250-member MCD has dropped from 113 to 100. The BJP now holds the largest number of seats at 117, while the Congress has 8 councillors.
Importantly, municipal bodies such as the MCD are not governed by the anti-defection law, making such resignations and realignments legally permissible.
As of now, the BJP has not officially responded to AAP’s allegations. However, the move is expected to significantly impact the political balance within the MCD and could influence the future direction of civic governance in Delhi.
