New Delhi/IBNS: Seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs have resigned five days before the crucial Delhi election stating that they lost faith in party supremo Arvind Kejriwal.

None of these MLAs got tickets to contest the election this time.

The MLAs who resigned include Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Rohit Kumar (Trilokpuri), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar), and Bhawna Goud (Palam). BS Joon (Bijwasan) was the first AAP MLA who gave his papers.

Palam's Bhavna Goud in her resignation letter directed her disappointment at party chief Arvind Kejriwal. "I have lost faith in you," the MLA said.

Naresh Yadav, who represented Mehrauli, was convicted by a Punjab court in a Quran desecration case in December and sentenced to two-year jail.

When the AAP released its fifth list of candidates for the Delhi election, the party announced Mahender Chaudhary as its Mehrauli candidate, replacing Naresh Yadav.

In his resignation letter, Naresh Yadav said the AAP abandoned its founding principle of "honest politics" of removing corruption and alleged the party had "become entangled in the swamp of corruption itself".

Trilokpuri MLA Rohit Kumar Mehraulia, in a post on X, said he joined AAP during the Anna Hazare-led movement against corruption, with the hope of securing social justice for the Dalit and Valmiki communities.

Mehraulia said the AAP promised to uplift these communities but failed to address crucial issues such as scrapping contract-based labour and ensuring temporary workers are absorbed permanently.

Janakpuri's Rajesh Rishi also cited growing disenchantment and alleged that the AAP has departed from its core values.

Delhi will vote to elect its new Assembly on February 5.