AAP's Bhopal office locked over unpaid rent and bills; Party says 'don't have funds'

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office in Bhopal has been locked by the landlord over non-payment of rent for three months and pending electricity bills. The office, located in Subhash Nagar, was leased by AAP for its Madhya Pradesh unit’s operations. Landlord Dilip confirmed that the party had failed to pay the dues despite repeated requests, leading him to lock the premises.

The issue escalated as AAP officials also placed their own lock on the office. Madhya Pradesh AAP president Rani Agrawal stated that the party office was secured because important documents were inside. "Maybe the landlord must have had some misunderstanding. Our office-in-charge had gone out for a wedding ceremony. Now he has returned to Bhopal, and the lock will be opened by Saturday evening," she said.

Madhya Pradesh AAP joint secretary Ramakant Patel acknowledged the party’s financial struggles, stating, "Right now, our party does not have funds. So we couldn’t do it." He added that the party manages its operations through local funds and that the financial condition of its workers was not strong. He did not confirm the exact amount of rent pending or the total duration of non-payment.

The incident comes after AAP’s poor performance in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, where it contested 66 seats but failed to win any, securing only 0.53% of the vote. In contrast, the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option received 0.98%. AAP had earlier gained some ground in Madhya Pradesh by winning the mayor’s post in Singrauli in the 2022 civic polls.

State BJP spokesperson Narendra Saluja reacted to the situation, stating on X, "AAP’s MP office locked, next number is of Congress." This comes amid AAP’s recent electoral losses, including a major setback in the Delhi assembly elections, where it was reduced to 22 seats while the BJP secured 48 out of 70.