Internal dissent hits AAP before MCD bypolls; leadership weighs expulsion of ex-MLAs

“All stakeholders, including some former MLAs and senior party functionaries, are going to be a part of this meeting. The party is planning to make an announcement on the expulsion of these former MLAs due to their disloyalty towards AAP,” the party functionary said.

The infighting is reportedly fueled by displeasure among former MLAs, whose preferred candidates were allegedly denied tickets for the bypolls. The bypolls for the 12 wards of the MCD is scheduled for November 30. Sources further said that the AAP wishes to set an example that disloyalty will not be tolerated.

This comes days after veteran AAP leader Shoaib Iqbal resigned from the party, alleging that it had failed to live up to the expectations of the people of Delhi.

Iqbal, a six-time MLA, has held the Matia Mahal Assembly seat for several parties before he joined the AAP in 2020. His resignation came after AAP refused to give a ticket to his brother-in-law, Kashif Qureshi, for the Chandni Mahal ward in the MCD bypolls. After Iqbal’s resignation, AAP had said that it is committed to promoting dedicated workers and not “parachute candidates.”

AAP’s performance in the byelections, however, is unlikely to create a major impact, as the BJP has 116 councillors in the 250-member MCD House. “The move to expel the former MLAs has also been made considering how the bypoll results won’t impact the overall majority of the house,” said a source.

In the campaign for the bypolls, BJP candidates have been banking on the party’s governance record, highlighting efforts to reduce landfill heights, a promise that had been made by the AAP before it came to power in the 2022 MCD polls.

AAP, on the other hand, is focusing on the government’s alleged failures in addressing garbage and cleanliness issues while also criticizing the demolition drives carried across the city after the new BJP government took charge in February.