The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday wrote a letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking the appointment of MP Ashok Mittal as the deputy leader of the party in the Upper House, replacing MP Raghav Chadha, according to party sources.
Although the party did not issue an official statement, the move comes amid a growing rift between the AAP leadership and Mr. Chadha, who until not so long ago was considered very close to party chief Arvind Kejriwal, over the past many months.
Responding to the development, Mr. Mittal said such changes in leadership positions within the party keep happening and dismissed reports that Mr. Chadha is joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Earlier, N.D. Guptaji was the deputy leader, then Raghavji took over, and now I have been given the responsibility. Tomorrow, someone else may get the opportunity. The party wants every MP and leader to gain experience in different roles,” he said.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged that Mr. Chadha has distanced himself from the “anarchic and corrupt leadership” of Mr. Kejriwal. “Whoever speaks the truth, opposes his policies that are not in favour of people, be it [Rajya Sabha MP] Swati Maliwal or Raghav Chadha, will become an irritant for him [Kejriwal],” Mr. Sachdeva said. Ms. Maliwal had an acrimonious fallout with AAP after she accused Mr. Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her in 2024.
