AAP walks out of INDIA bloc, blames Congress for failure to unite Opposition; INC slams 'double game'

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday (Jul 18) announced its formal exit from the INDIA bloc, a coalition of nearly three dozen Opposition parties, citing the bloc's failure "to stay united and take steps to further its agenda" after the 2024 general elections. The AAP's withdrawal comes just a day before a scheduled INDIA bloc meeting and days ahead of the scheduled beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament. The party sought to blame the Indian National Congress (INC) for its unceremonious exit from the alliance that was formed in July 2023 to take on the BJP-led NDA.

The exit announcement

Announcing the decision from his Delhi residence, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh squarely blamed the Congress party, accusing it of neglecting its responsibility as the bloc's largest constituent. "The AAP is not a part of the INDIA alliance, though we will continue to strongly raise public issues in Parliament, oppose the government whenever we believe it is in the wrong," he said. He added that AAP would now contest all future elections, including the upcoming Bihar assembly polls, on its own.

He further said that the "INDIA alliance should hold its meetings and take whatever decisions it wants to take". Singh said that the Congress party failed to keep the Opposition united after 2024. "The INDIA bloc did not take steps to further its agenda, did not hold any meetings after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The largest party in the alliance is Congress. But did it play its role to keep the parties united?" Singh asked.

AAP vs Congress

Though AAP and Congress had forged a tactical understanding in states like Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Goa and Chandigarh during the Lok Sabha elections, relations between the two have remained frosty. In the recent 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, both parties contested the elections separately and took frequent potshots at each other during the campaign.

Despite this, AAP insists it will continue to oppose the BJP in Parliament and raise key public issues, even if outside the INDIA fold. "We have always played the role of a strong opposition and will continue to do that," Singh said.

Congress slams AAP's “double game”

Responding to the announcement, Congress leader and Punjab Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said AAP's departure would, in fact, "strengthen the alliance," and accused the party of "playing a double game".

"AAP's exit will only strengthen the INDIA alliance by removing ambiguity. Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the clear and credible face of the fight to protect India's Constitution, democracy, and secular ethos... In contrast, AAP was always playing a double game. Kejriwal has publicly appealed to Congress workers to defect to AAP, exposing his intentions. Rather than fighting BJP, AAP consistently targeted Congress to weaken the larger opposition space. With AAP out, INDIA is now free to focus on real, committed partners and present a united, clear alternative to the BJP.