Gandhinagar: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Umesh Makwana has created a stir within the party by resigning only from his posts as whip and national joint secretary, while neither quitting the party nor resigning from his position as an MLA.

Makwana, who represents the Botad constituency, said he would consult the public before deciding whether to resign from the Assembly. “Leaders from backward communities are often used only during elections. All parties have failed to address the issues of backward communities,” he said, adding that casteist attitudes are rising in every party, including AAP. He also alleged that while the entire party rallied behind Gopal Italia in Visavadar, the Kadhi candidate was left isolated because of his Scheduled Caste background.

Makwana also confirmed that he has resigned from his national post but will continue working as an AAP worker. He plans to soon hold consultations with community leaders before deciding whether to remain with AAP, contest independently, or launch a new political platform.

Meanwhile, the party has suspended Makwana for his ‘anti-party activities’. State party chief Isudan Gadhvi, in a tweet, said, “Umesh Makwana is suspended from the party for five years for engaging in anti-party and anti-Gujarat activities.”

उमेश मकवाना को पार्टी विरोधी एवं गुजरात विरोधी गतिविधियों के लिए पाँच साल के लिए पार्टी से सस्पेंड किया जाता है।

— Isudan Gadhvi (@isudan_gadhvi) June 26, 2025

Sources within the party claim Makwana has been absent from AAP activities for a long time. While there were earlier rumours of his resignation—which he denied via a press conference—this new step has surely reignited the talk in political circles about infighting in AAP.

In 2022, AAP had fielded Makwana from the Botad Assembly seat, where he defeated BJP’s Ghanshyam Virani and Congress’s Manhar Patel. However, he later lost the Lok Sabha election from Bhavnagar. A known social worker, Makwana hails from Botad and has been representing the constituency as an MLA since December 2022. DeshGujarat