AAP members question party’s candidate selection

A number of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members have questioned the lack of transparency in decision making, saying that the much touted ‘decentralisation’ claim of the party has gone for a toss.

A number of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members have questioned the lack of transparency in decision making, saying that the much touted ‘decentralisation’ claim of the party has gone for a toss.

The move comes after dissenting voices protested AAP’s selection process for 20 candidates in the Lok Sabha polls.

Several members of AAP’s national council sent mails to Pankaj Gupta, national secretary, asking him to make public the manner in which some amendments were made to the party’s constitution, sources said.

“The amendments made during the national council meeting held in January show that more powers are vested with the party’s national executive. We want you to make public all these amendments and also release the video of the whole meeting,” the mails said. Gupta could not be reached for comment.

During the meeting, an amendment gave several powers to the national executive (NE) and cleared that in case of emergency “power may be exercised by the political affairs committee (PAC) subject to ratification by the NE”

“Whatever happened to the party’s much touted ‘transparency’ and ‘decentralisation’ claims? Is it only for speeches and not to be practiced internally?,” members told HT.

Atishi Marlena, AAP spokesperson defended the amendment, saying, “The existing constitution said nothing about who will have the final power to nominate (candidates). The amendment was exactly for this.”