The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi is witnessing a deepening crisis as 13 rebel councillors of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) broke away to form their own party, the Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP). This defection has exposed the growing fissures within the AAP’s Delhi unit and has severely weakened its position in the 250-member MCD, which oversees crucial civic governance.

With this exodus, the AAP’s tally has plummeted from 134 seats won in the December 2022 MCD elections to just 100, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now leads with 117 seats. The Congress and Independents share the remaining seats.

The defectors cited “disillusionment with AAP’s leadership and breakdown of internal coordination” as the primary reasons for their revolt. Led by Hemanchand Goyal, the group submitted a letter to the MCD stating that promises made to the public had remained unfulfilled and that they felt “used only for optics.”

Among the notable defectors is Mukesh Goel, former AAP leader of the MCD and a key municipal figure who joined AAP from the Congress ahead of the 2022 polls.

The revolt comes ahead of the MCD’s zonal ward committee elections, which elect Chairpersons, Deputy Chairpersons, and two members of the influential Standing Committee responsible for overseeing civic projects above Rs 5 crore. Due to a prolonged standoff between the AAP and BJP, the Standing Committee has been non-functional since the 2022 elections, stalling major civic governance decisions.

Several councillors anonymously told The Indian Express that the limited public appearances and lack of interaction by party supremo Arvind Kejriwal after the 2025 Delhi Assembly defeat has left party workers demoralised. Kejriwal has reportedly only addressed workers twice since the election.

Senior leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain have shifted their focus primarily to Punjab, where AAP still governs, creating a leadership vacuum in Delhi. Sisodia is the AAP in-charge of Punjab, and Jain serves as his deputy.

This absence has compounded frustration among Delhi AAP activists, many of whom feel abandoned by the leadership at a critical juncture. The defectors position the IVP as an independent, constructive opposition within the MCD framework.

AAP has accused the BJP of orchestrating the defections by offering financial inducements, alleging offers of Rs 5 crore to each councillor to destabilize the party. BJP’s MCD Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh dismissed these claims, attributing the split to AAP’s internal failures and poor governance, especially in sanitation.

Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav also criticized the AAP, calling the defection a clear sign of the party’s deteriorating leadership under Kejriwal.

As the AAP grapples with this internal crisis, its future role in Delhi’s civic governance remains uncertain with upcoming crucial elections and ongoing factional tensions threatening to further weaken the party’s hold.

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