The Delhi unit of Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a massive setback on Sunday after six-time MLA Shoaib Iqbal resigned from the party. In a video, the 67-year-old criticised the AAP and said it has failed to live up to the expectations of the people in the national capital.
Iqbal, a former councilor from Chandni Mahal, also said he was tired of AAP's 'ideology and strategy', and thereby, he has decided to resign from the party.
"I, Shoaib Iqbal, resign from all party posts and the primary membership of the AAP," he said. "I feel the AAP has failed to fulfil its promises and has not live up to the expectations of the people of Delhi. I was tired of their ideology and strategy. That's why I have resigned from the primary membership of the AAP today. I am no longer associated with it now."
Iqbal, a six-time MLA from Delhi's Matia Mahal assembly constituency
Iqbal has been a six-time MLA from Delhi's Matia Mahal assembly constituency. However, he was last elected to the Delhi Legislative Assembly from Matia Mahal in 2020 assembly elections. A former Janata Dal United (JDU) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader, Iqbal had joined the AAP just before the 2020 assembly elections.
In February 2020, he was appointed as the pro-tem Speaker of the Delhi Assembly to oversee the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected MLAs.
During the 2025 Delhi elections, Iqbal wanted to contest from Matia Mahal only, but the party had fielded former deputy mayor Aaley Mohammad Iqbal. Iqbal had won the seat and defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Deepti Indora by a margin of more than 42,000 votes.
The AAP is yet to issue a statement over Iqbal's resignation from the party.
