Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken resigns citing health reasons, say reports; party denies claims, says leader at check-up

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken has resigned as the Delhi Congress president citing poor health reasons. Reports said that Maken is abroad getting treatment. According to sources in Congress, Maken handed his resignation to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and senior party leader and in charge of Congress Delhi PC Chacko on 13 September. The party, however, has not accepted the resignation yet. In an official confirmation, however, the Congress denied the claims and said, “Delhi Congress President Ajay Maken has not resigned. He has some health issues and has gone for a check-up. He will be back soon. He had recently met party President Rahul Gandhi and party in-charge of Delhi affairs PC Chacko.”

In 2015, Ajay Maken was appointed the Delhi president instead of Arvinder Singh Lovely, and reports have said that the Congress is looking for a younger person to head the Delhi unit. After facing defeat in the 2017 Delhi Municipal Corporation election, Maken took responsibility for the loss and had resigned. Rahul, however, refused to accept his resignation. A senior politician in Congress, Maken was twice elected as a Member of Parliament, and three times to the Delhi Legislative Assembly. He was appointed as the president of the Delhi Congress Committee in 2015. He was appointed as the Speaker of Legislative Assembly at Delhi in 2004 before replacing MS Gill as the Minister for sports and youth affairs in 2011.