Tottering to its end? 2 key leaders resign from party posts in AAP Maharashtra

Mumbai: With two key leaders quitting from their party posts on Tuesday, it seems that the end of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Maharashtra, widely believed to be the strongest after the Delhi team, has begun. More importantly the resignations come at a time when the party is struggling to be politically relevant in the state after announcing that it would not contest the Maharashtra assembly polls. AAP’s Maharashtra unit convenor Anjali Damania and secretary Preeti Sharma Menon resigned from the party posts citing personal reasons on Tuesday and have sent their resignation letters to the party’s state executive committee. “I genuinely feel each and every one of us has a duty towards our Nation. I have done it with utmost sense of responsibility and dedication. But, I also have a family to look after, in the last three years, I have stepped out of my responsibility at home putting the entire burden on my in-laws. They too are now getting old and I feel it is my duty to get back and look after them and my family,” Damania wrote in the resignation letter. “I have tried to do it to the best of my abilities. Both Preeti and I have the same set of personal problems and hence wanted to relieve ourselves of the positions for sometime. But, we wanted to be sure that the State management is in safe hands,” it said adding that she would continue to support AAP. Damania had contested the Lok Sabha election from Nagpur but lost to BJP leader and union minister Nitin Gadkari. Preeti Sharma Menon stated in her resignation letter, “I need to give attention to my personal life and hence I would like to be relieved with immediate effect.” [caption id=“attachment_1726819” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] AAP volunteers in this file photo. AFP[/caption] In May, both leaders, Damania and Sharma Menon, had resigned from their party posts due to the too much negativity in the state unit. However, both of them had withdrawn their resignation following the assurance of restructuring and re-energising the party. Damania and Sharma Menon are suffering huge losses in their personal businesses and also they are not able to cope up with the multiple responsibilities such as family, career and party responsibilities, say party leaders. “But, both will continue to support the AAP in all possible way as they haven’t quit the party,” said Mayank Gandhi, member of national executive committee, speaking to Firstpost. Gandhi added that the restructuring of the party is in process and is likely to be completed in 2-3 weeks. “After the restructuring, we will have dedicated grass-room team and will be ready for the battles,” he said. Though the party has decided not to contest the assembly polls, the state unit is making attempts to be relevant in the state politics. “We are not here in politics to fight election after election but for change in the system. As it will take sometime, we have decided not to contest the assembly polls in the larger interest of the party. But, we are holding Mohalla sabhas to create awareness about the candidates background, his performance record to help the electorate to make an informed choice,” said Praful Vora, an AAP leader. In the recently held Lok Sabha election, the AAP had fielded 48 candidates but it did not win even a single seat in the state and 47 candidates lost their security deposits. Following the poor performance, the party decided not to contest the assembly polls in state and instead focus on winning back Delhi. Political observers say that it would be difficult for the AAP to continue to be relevant with key leaders, considered as the faces of the state unit, leaving the party.