Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 4
Former minister and Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken today quit as Delhi Congress chief, citing ill health in the run up to 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Maken, who met Congress president Rahul Gandhi last night to urge the acceptance of his resignation, today told reporters he would “work for the party and prepare for the Lok Sabha elections now” and that he wanted the Delhi Congress to be led by a fully fit person ahead of General Election.Gandhi is, however, yet to accept the resignation that would be deemed accepted once Congress finds Maken’s replacement.
Maken had submitted his resignation to the party this September and said today that his health did not permit him to continue. In Congress tradition, a resignation is not considered accepted until a leader is replaced from his post.Maken became Delhi Congress chief in 2015, electorally the worst year for Congress in Delhi where all its candidates lost elections and Maken lost his own deposit.
The party later fared poorly in the municipal corporation poll and does not appear to have recovered much.
Meanwhile, there’s talk of ongoing parleys between Congress and AAP since AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal attended the Opposition meeting against BJP on the eve of winter session of Parliament. This was the first Opposition meeting Kejriwal attended.
Later, AAP also worked overtime to control the damage caused by a resolution moved by one of its MLAs in Delhi Assembly, demanding withdrawal of Bharat Ratna conferred on late PM Rajiv Gandhi for the latter’s role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The damage control was a sign of growing AAP outreach with the Congress. It is still to be seen whether Rahul Gandhi agrees to trade with Kejriwal. There are reports that Ajay Maken is not in favour of such an alliance.
Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit is learnt to be open to discussions, provided the seat-sharing arrangement is respectable for the Congress. There is a belief that Congress-AAP combine could put up a formidable challenge to the BJP in Delhi in 2019 Lok Sabha poll by preventing the division of anti-BJP votes.
Cites health reasons
- Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken had submitted his resignation to the party in September
- On Thursday night, he met party chief Rahul Gandhi and urged him to accept his resignation as his health did not permit him to continue on the post
- On Friday, he told reporters that he wanted the Delhi Congress to be led by a fully fit person ahead of the General Election
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