Chandigarh: In another setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on Monday resigned from the legislative Assembly, becoming the third AAP legislator to quit within two days.
The former IPS officer has reportedly sent his resignation to Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, adding to the mounting political turbulence within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
His resignation comes a day after AAP lawmakers Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra from Sanaur and Chetan Singh Jouramajra from Samana announced their decision to leave the party, triggering fresh questions over the party’s internal stability and leadership in Punjab.
Kunwar Singh’s exit is particularly significant given his background as a senior police officer and his prominence in Punjab politics.
He had emerged as one of AAP’s prominent faces in the state after joining the party in 2021 and winning the Amritsar North Assembly constituency in the 2022 elections.
However, his relationship with the party leadership had deteriorated over time. In June 2025, AAP suspended him for five years over alleged anti-party activities. Despite the suspension, he continued to criticise the party’s functioning and the state government’s policies.
On Sunday, MLA Kunwar Singh launched a fresh attack on AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, alleging that the party had drifted away from the principles on which it was founded.
Referring to the party’s founding ideals of Swaraj, he alleged that AAP had lost its original ideological direction.
He also raised concerns over the law and order situation, drugs, extortion and gangster activities in Punjab.
The latest resignation comes at a politically sensitive time for AAP, which has begun preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections by announcing its first list of 40 candidates.
The departures of Pathanmajra, Jouramajra and now Kunwar Singh within 48 hours have exposed growing discontent within the party’s Punjab unit.
The first two legislators had also criticised the Mann government’s performance, raising issues such as drug trafficking, unemployment, farmers’ concerns and governance.
With three legislators now having resigned in two days, the developments pose a fresh challenge for the AAP leadership as it attempts to retain its political footing in Punjab ahead of the crucial 2027 electoral battle.
(IANS)
