In a setback to the Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot has resigned from his post and quit the party. This setback for AAP comes ahead of the Delhi assembly elections.
Along with the Department of Transport, Gahlot held other key portfolios in the NCT government such as home, IT and Women and Child Development.
After resigning from the post and quitting the party, the Delhi minister stated in his resignation letter that AAP faces "grave challenges" from within the party, taking a jibe at Arvind Kejriwal's leadership of the party.
"Political ambitions have overtaken our commitment towards people, leaving many promises unfulfilled. Take for example the Yamuna, which we had promised to transform into a clean river, but never got around to doing it. Now the Yamuna River is perhaps even more polluted than ever before," said Gahlot.
The former Delhi minister is expected to join the Bharatiya Janta Party. Several BJP leaders have also commented on his resignation and lauded Gahlot for "Showing Kejriwal a mirror".
Gahlot's resignation and possible allegiance to the BJP cames as a major setback for AAP, especially after their losses in the Lok Sabha elections. During the general elections, all seven seats of the National Capital were won by the BJP.
After Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court, the AAP leader walked out of Tihar jail and offered to resign. Following his resignation, Atishi took over as leader and Chief Minister of Delhi as the capital prepares for early assembly elections.
