Manoj Dhanowar, the president of the Aam Aadmi Party's Assam unit, announced his resignation from the position on Friday. Additionally, Masuma Begum, the president of the party’s women's wing in Assam, not only stepped down from her role but also left the party altogether. As the Panchayat election is due next month in the state, this is a big blow to the party, which is already struggling to make a mark in the North East.
AAP is working to expand its presence in the rural areas of Assam. with less than a month remaining before the upcoming Panchayat elections, the resignation is these two crucial posts will affect the party's landscape.
Resigning due to "unavoidable circumstances": Dhanowar
Dhanowar shared on social media his resignation letter that he had sent to AAP's national general secretary (organisation), Sandeep Pathak, on January 2. He said in the letter that he was resigning due to "unavoidable circumstances". "I thank the party leadership for providing me this opportunity to move forward and I shall serve as a party volunteer from now onwards," he said.
As per the state party leaders, Dhanowar had resigned four months ago and was inactive for some time. AAP appointed its national joint secretary Bhaben Choudhury, as the acting state president last month.
AAP's state secretary Amlanjyoti Hatibaruah said it was "strange" that Dhanowar made his resignation letter public after four months. "Probably his resignation was not accepted," he added. "Our executive committee had to appoint Choudhury as the state president as Dhanowar had been inactive for over two months.
And today, he made public his resignation letter," Hatibaruah told PTI.
Masuma Begum quits AAP
Meanwhile, Masuma Begum tendered her resignation within hours of addressing a press conference on the upcoming panchayat elections in the state. "I am writing to formally resign from the position of State President, Women Wing, AAP, Assam, and primary membership," she said in the letter. This is noteworthy that Masuma was the only AAP candidate to win the elections to the Guwahati Municipal Corporation in 2022.
Assam panchayat elections
Panchayat elections in Assam’s 27 districts will be conducted in two phases on May 2 and May 7, State Election Commissioner Alok Kumar announced on April 2. The first phase will cover the districts of Upper Assam and Barak Valley including Cachar, Hailakandi, Sribhumi, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Majuli, Jorhat, Golaghat, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sonitpur.
The second phase will cover districts including Dhubri, South Salmara Mankachar, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Bajali, Nalbari, Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Hojai, Nagaon, Morigaon and Darrang. The votes will be counted on May 11.