AAP MP Swati Maliwal was among the prominent political figures present at Ramlila Maidan on Thursday as BJP’s Rekha Gupta took oath as the new Chief Minister of Delhi.
A video shared by news agency PTI showed Maliwal, the former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief, standing on a stage adorned with a banner featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She was seen engaged in an intense conversation with Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav, adding to the speculation around her growing rift with AAP leadership.
From Kejriwal's close aide to critic
Once a trusted ally of Arvind Kejriwal, Maliwal has become one of his most outspoken critics in recent months. The turning point came in May last year, when she accused Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of Kejriwal, of assaulting her at the Chief Minister’s residence. She alleged that Kejriwal was present in the building at the time but did not intervene.
The rift deepened during the Haryana Assembly elections in October 2024, when Maliwal criticized Kejriwal for contesting separately from the Congress-led INDIA bloc, a move that ended in a disastrous performance for AAP, which secured less than 2 per cent of the total vote share.
Clash intensifies before Delhi Elections
In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections, Maliwal made headlines again when she staged a protest outside Kejriwal's residence, demanding accountability for his unfulfilled promise to clean the Yamuna River. She was later detained by Delhi Police.
As the election results were declared, confirming AAP's massive defeat, Maliwal took to X (formerly Twitter), posting a cryptic image of Draupadi's disrobing from the Mahabharata, seemingly aimed at Kejriwal.
Blames Kejriwal for AAP's defeat
Later, in an interview with NDTV, Maliwal directly blamed Kejriwal for AAP's electoral downfall, saying:
"If a person becomes extremely arrogant and stops working for the people, they will teach him a lesson. That is exactly what has happened with Arvind Kejriwal today."
She accused him of ignoring internal democracy within AAP and claimed he believed he could "get away with anything," including lying and assaulting people.
Denies quitting AAP, vows to stay as Rajya Sabha MP
Despite her public clashes with Kejriwal, Maliwal dismissed speculation that she would resign from AAP or surrender her Rajya Sabha seat.
"I am an AAP MP and will continue. Just because I raise questions, should I resign? Why? I have done nothing wrong," she asserted.
Her remarks and public appearances continue to fuel speculation about her future political trajectory, as AAP grapples with its worst electoral setback in Delhi.
Also read | Rekha Gupta sworn in as Delhi's 4th woman Chief Minister, BJP returns to power after 27 years
