AAP’s Mehrauli candidate pulls out of election race

Naresh Yadav, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate for the Mehrauli Assembly seat in Delhi, announced that he will not contest the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections scheduled to be held next year.

Yadav’s decision comes after he was recently arrested in Punjab in connection with the Quran desecration case. He was later granted bail in the case.

It is widely believed that Yadav’s withdrawal was influenced by concerns over potential backlash from Muslim voters in his constituency as well as in Delhi more broadly.

Yadav, in a post on social media platform X, explained his decision saying: “Inspired by Arvind Kejriwal’s politics of honesty, I joined the Aam Aadmi Party around 12 years ago. This party has given me a lot. After meeting Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, I told him that I will not contest the elections until I am ‘honorably’ acquitted by the court.”

He said: “I am innocent and the allegations against me are politically motivated and false. So, I have requested the party to release me from contesting the elections. I will continue to serve the people of Mehrauli as a common worker. I will put in my efforts to ensure Kejriwal is re-elected as the Chief Minister.”

Party fields Mahendra

Following Yadav’s withdrawal, AAP announced Mahendra Chaudhary as the new candidate for the Mehrauli Assembly seat. Party sources suggested that the move was prompted by fears that the controversy surrounding Yadav could affect AAP’s prospects, particularly in Muslim-majority constituencies in Delhi.

The AAP, which is aiming for a third consecutive term in power, had already named all of its 70 candidates for the upcoming elections.