Congress’s Arvinder Singh Lovely resigns as Delhi unit chief; won’t join another party: Lok Sabha election 2024

Mr. Lovely expressed his pain, which he believes is felt by all leaders of the Congress, during a press conference. He clarified that his decision to step down from the post of Delhi Congress chief was not due to dissatisfaction with ticket distribution, as he had introduced the candidates three days earlier. In a letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, he highlighted the jailing of several AAP ministers on corruption charges, despite the Congress forming an alliance with Arvind Kejriwal’s party for the Lok Sabha elections. Mr. Lovely thanked the party and affirmed that he is still with the Congress, with no immediate intention to join any other party.

The Congress and AAP, known for their differences, have come to a seat sharing agreement in Delhi despite resistance within their ranks. However, similar resistance in places like Punjab has prevented any possibility of seat sharing, resulting in direct contests between the two parties in many seats, contrary to the INDIA bloc’s one-on-one contest gameplan. The irony of AAP ministers’ arrest on corruption charges has not been lost on many in the Delhi Congress. Even so, several Congress members, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sandeep Dikshit of Delhi Congress, and Mr. Lovely, had expressed support for Arvind Kejriwal after his arrest.