The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing serious internal strife in Gujarat. After bagging the Visavadar by-elections, joyous celebrations were seen among party members. But they did not last long. On the third day of the victory, the party had to suspend one of its MLAs. MLA Umesh Makwana is from the Botad seat.
The Visavadar win
After the resignation of BJP veteran Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, the seat of Visavadar fell vacant. The AAP candidate, Gopal Italia, won in a close contest. This win asserted AAp’s growing influence in Gujarat and enthused party workers. But this enthusiasm was dampened soon after.
Anti-Party sentiment
Makwana has been suspended for five years. The suspension was announced by the Gujarat AAP President Ishudan Gadhvi on Thursday. Earlier on this day, Makwana resigned from all party posts. He held the post of Joint Secretary and Chief Whip in Gujarat Assembly.
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Makwana has claimed that he resigned to focus on social services and work as an activist. But the political grapevine is abuzz with other reasons of discord. Makwana’s displeasure stemmed from internal factionalism within the party and differences with the leadership. People say Makwana was upset because the Dalit community lacked proper representation in the party. He also accused the AAP of deviating from Ambedkar’s principles. Some say that Makwana had questioned the party’s strategies in recent months, especially the candidate selection in the by-elections.
AAP’s internal conflicts
Gadhvi termed the suspension as a disciplinary action and said that anti-party activities will not be tolerated. Makwana worked against the interests of Gujarat. However, he did not disclose any specific activities.
This suspension sheds light on the internal disharmony and discord in the Gujarat unit of the party. The party is facing challenges in maintaining harmony inside the organization. There are speculations that Makwana’s suspension would be the wrong decision for AAP. Makwana was popular among Dalit and rural voters. There is still suspense over Makwana’s next step. There is no clarity yet on whether he will join another party or work independently.
This has given the BJP an opportunity to attack its growing opposition. BJP spokesperson Yamal Vyas said that AAP’s victory bubble burst in three days and this reflects their internal chaos.
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