With the Lok Sabha elections on the horizon, the Delhi Congress seems to have split into factions. On Sunday, the party suffered another significant setback when, following Raj Kumar Chauhan, Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned from his position as the state Congress president. The internal discord over the alliance with AAP and ticket distribution continues to be a major concern. Lovely criticized the Congress's alliance with AAP and also voiced his disapproval of statements made by party candidates Kanhaiya Kumar and Udit Raj. Moreover, he has levied serious accusations against AICC's in-charge of Delhi, Deepak Babaria.

Meanwhile, Udit Raj and Deepak Babaria have also released their statements, taking aim at Lovely.

In his letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Khadge, Lovely mentioned feeling handicapped as every unanimous decision taken by senior leaders in Delhi was single-handedly vetoed by Deepak Babaria. Lovely stated that despite the Delhi Congress unit being against the alliance with AAP, the party high command proceeded with it, now sharply highlighting the internal strife within the party.

'I'm not heading to any other party'

Lovely on Sunday also dismissed all speculations that he relinquished his position due to not receiving a ticket, clarifying that he is not joining another political party. Dismissing rumors of his displeasure over ticket distribution, Lovely highlighted his role in introducing candidates at a press conference three days earlier. He emphasized that his resignation was solely from the position of Delhi Congress president and that he was not planning to join any other political party.

Deepak Babaria's Response

The leadership in Delhi is calling for the removal of Deepak Babaria. Amid these circumstances, he mentioned that it was unfortunate for Lovely’s resignation to come at a time when the country is in the midst of general elections, although he believes it won't affect the Congress party. Babaria stated that Lovely was part of all committees and panels and should have raised his objections at that time. Babaria believes that anyone distancing themselves from a party or position is bound to find reasons for it. The party trusted him with such an important position, but his actions are regrettable, and his resignation will not impact the party. He is confident that the Congress will win all three Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. Babaria admitted that there were promotions of individuals within the party who shouldn't have been promoted, leading to disheartenment among the common workers. Efforts were made to curb such activities initiated by Lovely. He assured that a new president would be found soon.

Following his resignation, the party's factional dispute has come to the forefront.