AAP leader and ex-minister Rajendra Pal Gautam joins Congress ahead of Delhi assembly polls 2025

Rajendra Pal Gautam, Aam Aadmi Party MLA and former minister in Arvind Kejriwal cabinet joined the Congress party on Friday. This development assumes significance as it comes at a time when the AAP and the Congress are discussing alliance ahead of Haryana assembly polls.

Gautam resigned from AAP earlier in the day. After his Congress joining he said, “Unfortunately, we can see a rise in religious and caste frenzy in the last 10 years. Riots are breaking out and Dalits, backwards and minorities are being oppressed.”

Gautam said that Rahul Gandhi's slogan about ‘spreading love in times of hate’ during Bharat Jodo Yatra inspired him to take this decision. He praised Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, for calling for a need to safeguard the constitution and to ensure social justice. 

“My struggle has always been that everyone should get their representation and honour,” the Seemapuri MLA said.

Gautam thanked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal  for giving him  opportunity to become  MLA twice. "I express gratitude to him for this but my fight is somewhere else." He vowed to fight for pressing issues such as social justice, caste-based census and representation. He pointed out that AAP maintains silence on these issues," he said. 

Suggesting that he wanted to intensify the struggle for social justice, the Delhi ex-minister resigned from AAP today. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) the Seemapuri MLA in Hindi said, "I am resigning from the membership and all posts of AAP in order to accelerate the struggle for social justice and participation of the Bahujan Samaj in all sectors."

Meanwhile, Haryana general assembly elections will take place on October 5 while the vote counting is scheduled for October 8. The deadline for filing nominations is September 12, and the scrutiny of papers will take place on September 13. The withdrawal of nominations is permitted until September 16.

Gautam resigned as Delhi’s Social Welfare Minister in October 2022 after he kicked off a political storm over his alleged remarks against Hindu gods and goddesses.

Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are due in 2025.