In a stunning blow to the Aam Aadmi Party just weeks before the November 30 MCD bypolls, veteran leader and six-time Delhi MLA Shoaib Iqbal announced his immediate resignation on Sunday, declaring with finality that he would "never return" to the party that once welcomed him as a symbol of Old Delhi’s political muscle. The 71-year-old, who joined AAP ahead of the 2020 Assembly elections after decades of switching alliances, cited deep disillusionment with the party’s direction and its refusal to field his preferred candidate in the crucial Chandni Mahal ward.

Iqbal, whose son Aaley Mohammad Iqbal currently serves as the AAP MLA from neighboring Matia Mahal, lambasted the party’s decision to nominate Muddasir Usman Qureshi instead of his brother-in-law, Kashif Qureshi. Speaking to PTI, he accused AAP of betraying its founding ideals: “This party was born from a people’s movement against corruption and dynasty, but it has lost its way—now it ignores loyalty, ground reality, and the very workers who built it.” He emphasized his unmatched electoral record in the area, pointing out that his son had secured the highest victory margins both as councillor and MLA.

The former MLA issued a veiled warning of internal collapse, predicting that “more people will leave” and that “major developments” could unfold as early as Monday. Drawing parallels with past political outfits like Janata Dal, which he represented in 1993 and 2013, Iqbal declared that parties born from movements rarely endure. “Even AAP is facing disintegration,” he said, framing his exit not as personal grievance but as a symptom of systemic decay within the organization.

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The AAP leadership responded swiftly, defending its candidate selection as the result of an internal survey and a firm policy against dynastic or external “parachute” candidates. In an official statement, the party highlighted Qureshi as a long-time grassroots worker and current Delhi co-secretary of its youth wing, asserting that tickets were reserved exclusively for dedicated members. “We do not give opportunities to relatives so that ordinary workers get a fair chance,” the statement read, indirectly targeting Iqbal’s push for his brother-in-law.

Iqbal’s political journey reflects the fluid, high-stakes nature of Delhi’s Muslim-majority constituencies: from Janata Dal in 1993, JD(U) in 2013, a brief stint with Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, Congress in 2014, and finally AAP in 2020. His departure now threatens to fracture AAP’s carefully cultivated support base in Walled City wards ahead of civic polls that could tip control of the MCD—and serves as a stark reminder that even the most loyal veterans can become casualties when party discipline clashes with personal legacy.

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