Third setback for the party in two days

Suspended legislator submits resignation to Punjab Assembly Speaker

Chandigarh, 02 November (H.S.): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered another major setback ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, with Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh resigning from the Punjab Legislative Assembly with immediate effect.

The former IPS officer announced his decision through social media, addressing the people of his constituency. He claimed that he had achieved nearly 90 per cent of the goals he had set for himself as a legislator.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said his biggest achievement was ending the ‘Mai-Baap culture’ in politics. He maintained that he had always considered the people his source of inspiration and worked with their interests in mind.

Speaking about Punjab’s future, he called for collective efforts to restore the state’s progressive identity. He said Punjab was currently facing serious challenges, including drug abuse, extortion, gangsterism and corruption.

The MLA said he had consistently raised issues concerning Amritsar in the Punjab Assembly. These included water supply, sewerage, the Circuit House, Company Bagh, drains, Guru Nanak Dev University, Government Medical College, Sarup Rani College and the Bargari sacrilege incident.

He claimed that, for the first time, he had raised constituency-level problems in the Assembly by specifically mentioning the names of streets and localities.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said his future political activities would focus on clean politics and transparent administration. He described ‘Punjab First’ as his only objective, adding that he had no personal interests.

He has submitted his resignation to the Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. He is the third AAP legislator to resign within less than 24 hours.

A day earlier, Samana MLA Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Sanaur MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra had resigned from the primary membership of the party. All three leaders are likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.

The developments come shortly after the AAP released its first list of candidates for the 2027 Assembly elections on November 1. The party had recently appointed constituency in-charges in the Assembly segments represented by Jouramajra and Pathanmajra, triggering speculation that both legislators might not be renominated.

AAP leaders have repeatedly accused the BJP of trying to strengthen its political position in Punjab by inducting leaders from other parties. The party has maintained that the BJP has a limited political base in the state.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a former IPS officer, joined the AAP after resigning from the police service. He was associated with the investigation into the 2015 sacrilege incidents in Faridkot and the subsequent police firing incidents in Punjab.

He won the Amritsar North Assembly seat on an AAP ticket in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. However, his relationship with the party leadership subsequently deteriorated.

In January 2023, he resigned as Chairman of the Assembly's Committee on Government Assurances. Even afterwards, he repeatedly questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the functioning of the state government. He had also publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the party's functioning and its handling of sacrilege cases.

In June 2025, the AAP suspended him from the party for five years over alleged anti-party activities.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH