Cracks appear in AAP after call to not contest UP by-polls

Lucknow: After the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced that it will not contest the upcoming Assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, leading to growing disillusionment among party workers.

The party’s repeated decisions to withdraw from elections are causing frustration, with even some party officials distancing themselves. The prolonged delay in appointing a state president has exacerbated the situation, further impacting the party’s activities in the state.

For the past several months, the AAP has been largely inactive in UP. During the last Lok Sabha elections, the party lent its support to the Indy Alliance, which reduced the frequency of its leadership meetings.

While the AAP has been vigorously contesting elections and campaigning in states like Haryana and Delhi, its presence in UP has diminished. Even after scheduling a state-level conference twice, the event was postponed both times, signaling

organisational issues.

The party has now announced plans to hold a state-level conference

on October 13.

It had also launched the Tiranga Yatra to engage with people and expand its base, but that campaign failed miserably.

The absence of a state president has further weakened the party’s ability to respond to incidents or represent itself in key political moments, leading to a visible gap in its activities on the ground.

Amidst the growing discontent, AAP recently suffered another setback when Lucknow district president Shekhar Dixit resigned from the party. Despite this, AAP’s state in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh sought to reassure party workers. “Many things will become clear after the conference on October 13,” he said.

The upcoming conference on October 13 is seen as a crucial moment for AAP as it will likely determine the future course of the party in the state.

Party workers are eager to see whether the leadership can address their concerns and revitalise the organisation after a long period of inactivity, said political analyst Manoj Bhadra.