Sources in AAP said the massive defeat has triggered an alarm within the party and the top leadership is desperate to make sure there are no desertions
Fearing mass exodus after the MCD poll debacle, Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at an emergency meeting on Thurday asked all MLAs and councillors to promise that they would not betray the party.
Sources in AAP said the massive defeat has triggered an alarm within the party and the top leadership is desperate to make sure there are no desertions.
An 'oath ceremony' was held in Kejriwal's residence where AAP leaders pledged that they will not switch to other parties.
Late in the evening, the party's highest decision making body -- Political Affairs Committee (PAC) – met to discuss factionalism within the party.
Sources said, there were voices who questioned the decision of senior party leaders to blame Electronic Voting Machines (EVMS) for their loss instead of introspecting the humiliating defeats in Punjab and Goa Assembly elections followed by the one in Delhi municipal polls.
The entire exercise was undertaken when a few party leaders, including Sanjay Singh, Durgesh Pathak and Ashish Talwar, offered to resign from their posts, taking responsibility for the party's defeat in the polls. Singh resigned as the party’s Punjab in-charge, Pathak quit as Punjab co-observer and Talwar gave up the post of Delhi in-charge.
On Wednesday, Alka Lamba had also offered to resign as MLA and from all party posts. Delhi unit convener Dilip Pandey also sent his resignation to Kejriwal.
Gopal Rai, who had been sidelined for almost a year, has now been made Delhi in charge in place of Pandey.
Kejriwal's stern message to sitting MLAs was to reconnect with public issues. He also asked them to introspect the reasons behind the poll debacle.
He along Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Dilip Pandey and the newly elected councillors took a pledge, “With God as my witness, I pledge never to betray the party and (anti-corruption) movement.”
He also listed a series of dos and don'ts for the councillors and directed them that volunteers are the backbone of the party.
He also warned them that BJP might offer them money and ask them to join their party and in that case they should secretly record any offers made by the BJP to switch sides. “They may offer you a lot of money, even up to Rs 10 crore but if you take this, you will regret it, pay a heavy price all your life,” said Kejriwal adding that in MCD there is no anti-defection law.
The need for the 'pledge' arose after many senior party leaders reportedly sent their resignations following the crushing defeat in Delhi. Not only this, many legislators apparently want Kejriwal to be replaced by any of the other senior leaders as they have started facing the heat in their constituencies.“The party has been divided into four camps, and it is falling apart,” said a source.
Also, cracks started appearing in the public domain with Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann criticising the management of elections in Punjab, and Kumar Vishwas indirectly attacking Kejriwal’s defence of partymen who are under the scanner for corruption.
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