New Delhi, Dec 12 In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Delhi, Seelampur MLA Abdul Rehman quit the party and joined Congress on Tuesday, alleging that the party "ignored rights of Muslims".
In his resignation letter, Rehman also accused AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal of avoiding public issues for his political gains.
"Today, I resign from the primary membership of the Aam Aadmi Party. The party has become entangled in power politics and has neglected the rights of Muslims. Arvind Kejriwal has consistently avoided addressing public issues for his political gains. I will continue to fight for justice and rights," Rehman added.
Even though he quit the party, his display picture on social media remained the same -- a photo of jailed Kejriwal with the text -- 'Modi ka sabse bada dar Arvind Kejriwal' (Modi's biggest fear Arvind Kejriwal).
His departure comes as a significant setback for AAP, especially in constituencies with a sizeable Muslim voter base, and could impact the party's electoral prospects.
In an X post, the AAP MLA said, "I am resigning from the post of President of Minority Cell of Aam Aadmi Party. I have taken this decision in view of the growing differences in my views. I hope that the party and my supporters will understand my step."
Rehman's resignation came after he was denied a ticket from Seelampur for the upcoming Assembly elections in Delhi.
AAP announced its second list of candidates on Monday, replacing Rahman with Zubair Ahmed as the Seelampur candidate.
Within 24 hours, Rehman accused the AAP of neglecting minority rights and declared his resignation from the party's primary membership.
Rehman's dissatisfaction with the party had reportedly been brewing for a month, beginning with Zubair Ahmed's induction into AAP.
Speculation about Rehman leaving AAP for Congress gained momentum after this development.
On October 29, Rehman resigned from his position as the head of AAP's minority wing, citing differences in ideology.
The Assembly elections in Delhi for all 70 constituencies are scheduled to be held on or before February 2025.
The previous Assembly elections were held in February 2020.
After the election, the Aam Aadmi Party formed the state government, with Arvind Kejriwal becoming Chief Minister for a third term.
The tenure of the 7th Delhi Assembly is scheduled to end on 15 February 2025.
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