In a significant organisational shake-up following its defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday appointed former minister Saurabh Bharadwaj as the new president of its Delhi unit.
Senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has been entrusted with the party’s Punjab affairs.
The decision was taken at a meeting of AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) held at the residence of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal.
The restructuring comes as AAP looks to consolidate its position in Punjab—its only ruling state—while regaining lost ground in Delhi.
Bharadwaj replaces Gopal Rai, who has now been given charge of Gujarat, where AAP is attempting to expand its organisational base.
Announcing the changes, AAP general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak stated that the party remains committed to strengthening its presence across the country.
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Pathak, a Rajya Sabha MP, has himself been appointed in charge of AAP’s Chhattisgarh unit. Meanwhile, Pankaj Gupta will lead the party’s Goa chapter, and Mehraj Malik has been named the new chief of the party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit.
The meeting also discussed various political issues, including the alleged unfulfilled promises of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi.
"The BJP had assured monthly financial assistance of ₹2,500 to women and free LPG cylinders, but these remain unfulfilled,” Pathak remarked.
AAP’s restructuring comes in the wake of its electoral setback in Delhi, where the party had been in power for a decade before suffering a defeat last month.
With Bharadwaj at the helm in Delhi and Sisodia overseeing Punjab, the party aims to recalibrate its political strategy ahead of upcoming elections.
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