Major blow to AAP in MCD as 13 councillors resign, announce formation of Indraprastha Vikas Party

With the fresh wave of defections, the AAP’s numbers in the MCD have been reduced from 113 to 100. The BJP has 117, and the Congress 8.
In its response, the AAP hit out at the BJP and alleged, “Since the Mayoral elections, the BJP has been trying to poach our councillors. Each councillor was offered Rs 5 crore. The BJP does not have a majority to form the Standing Committee or Ward Committees — so it is resorting to buying people…”

MCD Mayor and BJP leader Raja Iqbal Singh said, “AAP’s corruption and dictatorship led to the formation of a third front”. “It disrupted civic development and damaged constitutional order during its rule. It failed to maintain even basic sanitation during its two-and-a-half-year tenure,” he added. Delhi Congress Chief Devender Yadav also said the exodus of councillors is a result of party convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s weak leadership.

A surprise defection

However, the most surprising defection is that of Mukesh Goel, former Leader of the House in the MCD. Goel, once a prominent Congress figure during its tenure in the MCD, joined AAP ahead of the 2022 civic elections and was named the party’s Leader of the House thereafter. A seasoned municipal leader, he recently contested the Adarsh Nagar assembly seat on an AAP ticket.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Goel explained the rationale behind the new front: “The party will only function as a front at the MCD level. The AAP was sitting at the helm of the MCD for 2.5 years; in that period, the councillors have been not allotted any budget, the councillors were told to not raise matters of concern from their areas, there were constant fights between the AAP and the BJP and the AAP never acted like a responsible government and never agreed to sit and listen to the concerns of the opposition. They never allowed the monthly house meetings to be held, and they would always end in a ruckus; there was gross civic neglect. Our plan is to act like a strong opposition at the MCD level that the AAP has been unable to do.”

Asked if his decision was influenced by being replaced as the MCD’s Leader of the Opposition by Ranjeet Nagar councillor, Ankush Narang, following AAP’s loss in the recent mayoral election, Goel said, “During my Congress tenure, after working as the standing committee chair for years, the party had named Jai Kishan ji to be the new standing committee chair and I continued to work as a normal karyakarta for years. It’s about mutual respect, which is lacking in the leaders of this party. They don’t even pick up our calls.”

The announcement was made at a press conference at the Constitution Club, where Goel also hinted that more councillors were likely to join the new formation in the coming days.

While the IVP has claimed that 15 councillors have joined its ranks, only 13 have publicly confirmed their affiliation so far.

Among those who have joined the new front are Bankner ward councillor and Arjuna Awardee Dinesh Bhardwaj, a former captain of the Indian Kabaddi team; Himani Jain from Vasant Vihar; Usha Sharma from Sadar Bazar; Sahib Kumar from Vikas Puri; Rakhi Yadav from Hatsal; Ashok Pandey from Vikas Nagar; Rajesh Kumar from Mubarakpur; Sumar Anil Rana from Rohini-B; and Devendra Kumar from Mayur Vihar Phase 2.

This development comes just weeks after the BJP regained control of the MCD by winning the mayoral elections, marking a critical reversal of fortunes after two years in opposition.

The timing is particularly significant as elections for chairpersons of the 12 zonal ward committees — instrumental in determining the composition of the powerful 18-member Standing Committee — are fast approaching.

The Standing Committee plays a key role in the civic body, with no proposal exceeding Rs 5 crore able to pass without its approval.
Previously, the AAP had managed to secure five of the 12 zonal committees. Out of the 18 Standing Committee seats, the BJP managed to secure 9 seats while the AAP was close at 8. One seat had remained vacant due to an AAP-BJP tussle, hindering the composition of the standing committee.

The new defections may now further complicate its position in the upcoming civic leadership contests.