After AAP releases MCD bypoll candidate list, veteran leader Shoaib Iqbal quits: ‘Party not living up to people’s expectations’

Soon after the veteran politician quit, the BJP latched on to the opportunity, and termed November 9 the “Sunday of Scandals” in a sharp dig at the rival party.

Iqbal’s resignation comes amid a row within the party over the selection of the candidate for the Chandni Mahal ward, which falls under Shoaib’s stronghold of Matia Mahal. The controversy began when Iqbal reportedly declared his brother-in-law, Kashif Qureshi, as the AAP candidate from the ward — a move the party later said had been made “without consultation”.

In a statement, the AAP said that it had conducted an internal survey and finalised Muddasir Usman Qureshi, co-secretary of the Delhi Youth Wing, as its official candidate. “The AAP had decided to give tickets only to its own workers in the MCD by-elections and not to any parachute candidates from other parties. The party avoids giving tickets to relatives, thus giving opportunities to ordinary workers,” the statement said.

Reacting to his father’s resignation, Aaley Mohammad Iqbal, the current AAP MLA from Matia Mahal, said the decision had “deeply hurt” their family. “My father is someone who has never done party-based politics, he has always done individual politics. Before appointing a candidate, they didn’t consult me or my father. For several terms, people of the region have been electing him to serve them — first as councillor and then as MLA, irrespective of the party he contests from. My father’s word in the area is very important; this is an emotional hurt for me, an attack on both me and my father’s respect,” Aaley said.

In this year’s Assembly elections, Aaley (34), who continues to be with the AAP, had won from Matia Mahal by a margin of 42,724 votes, which was amongst the highest in the entire Delhi election, as he defeated BJP’s Deepti Indora. His father, Shoaib Iqbal, a six-time MLA, has held the Matia Mahal seat since 1993 across several parties — including the JD, JD(S), LJP, JD(U), and Congress — before joining AAP ahead of the 2020 polls.

Amid the internal rift, the AAP on Sunday announced its 12 candidates for the November 30 MCD bypolls. Among them, AAP has fielded a lawyer and volunteer named Babita Ahlawat from Shalimar Bagh ward — the seat which was earlier held by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Its student wing president Eeshna Gupta is contesting from the Greater Kailash ward, which was previously represented by BJP MLA Shikha Rai. From Vinod Nagar, earlier represented by BJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi, the party has named Geeta Rawat, a former councillor. Other familiar faces include Anil Lakra, AAP’s former Leader of Opposition in the MCD, contesting from Mundka, and Seema Vikas Goel, wife of a former councillor, has been fielded from Ashok Vihar. Only three of the vacant seats were previously held by AAP councillors.

In a statement to the press, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said it was committed to promoting “dedicated workers” and not outsiders. “The PAC has decided to give tickets only to our own workers. Every candidate has a strong presence among the people and enjoys their trust,” Bharadwaj said.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor took a potshot at the party and claimed, “AAP accidentally declared a man, Keshav Chauhan, for the women’s reserved seat of Dichaon Kalan, when his wife is the actual candidate that they intended to announce….gave a ticket to Geeta Rawat, who was arrested for bribery in 2021–22. While AAP accuses others of dynasty politics, it is now itself trapped in nepotism and deceit.”