Goa AAP implodes as ex-chief, acting president, 3 other senior leaders quit
The exodus follows the party's poor performance in the 2025 Zilla Panchayat polls and the removal of Amit Palekar from the state president post
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received a major jolt in Goa on Monday (January 5) when some of its senior leaders, including the former president of its state unit, Amit Palekar; acting chief Shrikrishna Parab and three other officer-holders, quit the party’s primary membership.
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At a press conference held in Panaji, Palekar, Parab, and Goa AAP youth wing president Rohan Naik announced their resignations. Their decision comes days after the Arvind Kejriwal-led outfit failed to deliver the desired results in Zilla Panchayat (ZPs) elections in the coastal state.
Palekar lost president post after ZP polls
Palekar was removed from the post of Goa AAP president in late December after the party faced a humiliating defeat in the ZP polls, winning just one of the 42 seats it contested in the December 20 elections.
Parab, who was then the Goa AAP general secretary (organisation), was given additional charge as acting president of the state unit.
Two Goa AAP vice-presidents step down
Two Goa AAP vice-presidents, Chetan Kamat and Sarfaraz, also confirmed to PTI that they have resigned from the party, though they were not present at the news conference.
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Talking to reporters, Palekar said he decided to quit the party after consulting his supporters.
"My followers wanted me to have clarity in my politics," he revealed.
Palekar said his four-year journey with the AAP has come to an end, and he has no regrets, insisting he has done for the party whatever he could.
The lawyer-cum-politician emphasised that he learnt a lot from leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi (both former Delhi CMs) and Pankaj Gupta during his stint in the party.
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Palekar joined the AAP in the run-up to the 2022 Goa assembly elections and was projected as its chief ministerial face. The party went on to win only two seats in the 40-member Assembly.
Parab said he is resigning to register his disapproval of the way Palekar was removed from the post last month.
(With agency inputs)