Makwana’s explosive exit: Gujarat AAP MLA alleges Dalit betrayal, hints at launching new party

Makwana, who has served in the national structure of both Dandak and AAP, said he has stepped down as AAP's national joint secretary but will continue as a grassroots worker.
Days after AAP’s Gopal Italia clinched victory in the Gujarat bypolls, the party was rocked by internal discord as Botad MLA Umesh Makwana was expelled for five years.
Days after AAP’s Gopal Italia clinched victory in the Gujarat bypolls, the party was rocked by internal discord as Botad MLA Umesh Makwana was expelled for five years.(File Photo)
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AHMEDABAD: Days after AAP’s Gopal Italia clinched victory in the Gujarat bypolls, the party was rocked by internal discord as Botad MLA Umesh Makwana was expelled for five years on Thursday. The action came hours after Makwana resigned from all party posts in a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, saying he would remain a dedicated worker of the party.

Gujarat AAP chief Isudan Gadhvi announced the expulsion, reflecting rising tensions in the state unit. In his parting remarks, Makwana hit out at the leadership, alleging he was abandoned during the campaign and that a Dalit candidate in the Kadi Assembly was left alone in the field, indirectly targeting the handling of Italia’s poll run.

AAP leader Umesh Makwana told reporters in Gandhinagar on Thursday, “I will decide on resigning as MLA only after consulting the people."

"Leaders from backward communities are being used only for elections, and every party has failed to raise their real issues. Casteist mindsets are growing in all parties," he alleged.

Makwana, who has served in the national structure of both Dandak and AAP, said he has stepped down as AAP's national joint secretary but will continue as a grassroots worker.

"The entire party rallied behind Gopal Italia, but the Dalit candidate from Kadi was left to fight alone," he added.

"I will take the final call on resigning as AAP MLA only after consulting the public. If I resign, I will soon decide whether to contest as an independent or launch a new party," Umesh Makwana said, hinting at possible political realignment.

Makwana also said he plans to convene a meeting with leaders from backward communities in the coming days.

Moments after Umesh Makwana's announcement, Gujarat AAP president Isudan Gadhvi told the media, "Umesh Makwana has been suspended from the party for five years for indulging in anti-party and anti-Gujarat activities."

Gadhvi further alleged, "The BJP is doing dirty politics and is rattled by the Visavadar bypoll result. They are trying to damage AAP through Umesh Makwana, but this will prove to be a mistake."

Long before his resignation and expulsion, signs of Umesh Makwana’s growing distance from the Aam Aadmi Party had become evident, as he had not been seen in any party programmes for months. Speculation around his resignation had surfaced earlier as well, though he had publicly denied the rumours in a press conference.

Makwana, who was fielded by AAP from the Botad seat in the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, had defeated BJP’s Ghanshyam Virani and Congress’s Manhar Patel to become an MLA. His political journey with AAP continued when he was later nominated as the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from Bhavnagar, though he lost that contest.

Despite these key roles, his prolonged absence from party activities hinted at a widening rift, which eventually culminated in his resignation and expulsion, bringing the internal cracks within the Gujarat unit into sharper focus.

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