Gahlot resigns from Delhi assembly, no fresh election

Following his resignation, he will not be able to attend the special session of the Delhi assembly from Friday

New Delhi: Former Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot, who quit the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over a week ago, on Wednesday tendered his resignation from the Delhi assembly through a letter to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel.

Kailash Gahlot with BJP chief JP Nadda after joining the party. (ANI/JP Nadda X)

“As you are aware that I had resigned as a minister of the GNCTD on November 17. On the same day I had also resigned from the primary membership of the Aam Aadmi Party. Most of my reasons for this decision have been shared in the letter... that I had sent to Shri Arvind Kejriwal ji... the main reason was the fact that AAP had begun to deviate from its moral and ethical values, thereby making it difficult for me to continue. I hereby now tender my resignation from legislative assembly of Delhi... the same may be accepted with immediate effect,” Gahlot said in the letter, a copy of which was accessed by HT.

Speaker Goel said he will accept Gahlot’s resignation.

Gahlot is the sitting MLA from the Najafgarh assembly constituency, which he has been representing since 2015 as an AAP MLA. However, following his resignation, he will not be able to attend the special session of the Delhi assembly from Friday.

With the Najafgarh assembly seat now falling vacant, usually, fresh elections are issued after a notification is issued. But, with the term of the current assembly set to end on February 23—which is less than six months away—no bypoll will be held for the seat.

The AAP currently has 59 MLAs and the BJP, has seven. Four seats are currently vacant.