AAP amends party rules at council meet

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday passed six amendments in the party constitution in its national council meeting held in Delhi – the first after it won the Delhi assembly elections in February 2020 with a majority of 62 out of 70 seats.

Sisodia said, “The amendments would help the party grow across states.”

The new amendments allow the party to induct recruits and give them election tickets irrespective of the number of people in their families who have contested elections. They prohibit members of the party to flag concerns and share criticism regarding the party and the leadership in public domain, and allow interim appointment of office bearers by national and state executives in case of sudden vacancies, said Delhi’s deputy chief minister and senior

NEW DELHI:

AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a press conference after the meeting.

Sharing a list of amendments passed on Thursday, Sisodia said, “District level units of the party will now be considered as its primary units, instead of booth-level units under the old clauses, and MPS and MLAS of the party will by default become members of the national council and the concerned state council, so that they can contribute to the party’s growth without any delay.”

He added, “Also, party members will have full permission to take up concerns about the party, behaviour of other members, or criticise the leadership in designated communication forums of the party, but they cannot do that outside those forums or in public domain… We have also decided that from now on the state council or the national council meeting can take place virtually and it will be valid.”

“Earlier, there was a clause in the party’s constitution that said two people from the same family cannot fight the election. This rule will be only valid for the existing members of the AAP. But we are witnessing that many new leaders are joining our party whose two family members have contested elections. In such cases, the party has decided to allow such people to join, contest elections and work for the AAP. The amendment would apply to new recruits,” he added.

There is a clause in the party’s constitution which says that no member will hold the same post as an office-bearer for more than two consecutive terms of three years each. However, party convener Arvind Kejriwal has held the same position for two terms which ended in April 2019, but it was extended for one year in view of the Lok Sabha and Delhi assembly elections. But in 2020, the national council meeting could not take place because of the Covid-19 pandemic.