Three are vying for the position of deputy mayor, therefore there may be rift in the AAP

There are strong rumors of a significant split within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after the submission of three council members’ candidacies for the position of deputy mayor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The party nominated councillor Mahesh Khichi of Dev Nagar ward for mayor and councillor Ravinder Bharadwaj of Aman Vihar for deputy mayor early on Thursday, coinciding with the MCD mayoral elections. By Thursday at noon, both contenders had submitted their candidacy papers. Later in the day, however, it became known that two more party council members, Vijay Kumar from Ward 192 in Trilokpuri (East) and Narendra Kumar from Ward No. 119 in Mangalpuri, had submitted their candidacy for the position of Deputy Mayor.

“I have filed my nomination for the post of Deputy Mayor,” Vijay Kumar said in a mysterious post on the social networking site X on Friday. Not only will I run for office, but I’ll win it. I ask that you not place any pressure on my family or myself. You speak about democracy, but the party does not practice democracy. He said, “This is a personal decision,” in a another post. Please don’t let my family become involved in politics.

With 134 out of the 250 council members in the MCD house, the AAP enjoys a slim majority. The Congress has nine council members, compared to the opposition BJP’s 104. The party is worried about this since any cross-voting might tilt the scales in favor of the opposition.

In the meantime, the BJP has put forward Kishan Lal, a councillor from Shakarpur’s Ward No. 62, for Mayor and Neeta Bisht, a councillor from Sadatpur’s Ward No. 247, for Deputy Mayor. On April 26, the MCD general meeting will host the mayoral elections.