Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar joined the Congress on Saturday, October 3, after leaving the Arvind Kejriwal-led party, marking a political shift for one of AAP's prominent national voices.
Kakkar joined Congress at the All India Congress Committee office in New Delhi. Former Uttar Pradesh MLA Shyam Sundar Sharma and journalist Rajat Rakesh Tandon also joined the party at the event.
In a statement explaining her decision, Kakkar said she wanted to see the Delhi of her childhood restored. She described the city she wanted as green, clean, progressive and safe.
“I am joining the Congress party today with immense pride because I want back the Delhi I grew up in,” she said, adding that she believed Congress could bring back the Delhi that had been an important part of her growing-up years.
Kakkar says votes should not scatter
Speaking to news agency ANI, Kakkar said she was joining Congress because there was a need to “defeat the regressive politics of the BJP”.
“I am joining Congress with immense pride. We don't have to let the votes scatter now. We have to fight against Gyanesh Kumar and also defeat the regressive politics of the BJP,” she said.
Kakkar also praised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, describing him as “authentic” and “resilient”. She said it was important for people to come together.
Her remarks came amid opposition parties and civil society groups campaigning against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over issues related to the electoral roll revision process. Protests against Kumar were held in Delhi and Mumbai in recent days.
From AAP chief spokesperson to Congress
Kakkar had been associated with AAP since 2013, after joining the party inspired by its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. AAP appointed her national chief spokesperson in April 2023, giving her a prominent role in representing the party on national issues.
Over the years, she held several organisational responsibilities within AAP. These included serving as the party's Telangana observer, legal head for the South Delhi parliamentary constituency and an adviser to Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.
AAP records also show that she worked on Raghav Chadha's Lok Sabha campaign in 2020 and served as Sanjay Singh's adviser from 2021 to 2023. She was also the party's legal observer for Uttar Pradesh and was part of a 12-member monitoring committee formed for the state organisation.
Her recent role in AAP
Kakkar remained an active public face of AAP until her departure. As recently as September, she was representing the party at press conferences and speaking on issues including the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
In September, she criticised the SIR process after Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha's name was deleted from the Punjab electoral roll and called on him to raise concerns over voter deletions in the state.
Her departure also comes after AAP had publicly ruled out a future alliance with Congress. In June, Kakkar, then the party's chief spokesperson, had said AAP was no longer part of the INDIA bloc and ruled out an alliance with Congress, alleging that the latter had contested the Delhi Assembly elections with the objective of defeating AAP.
Legal background and political career
Kakkar holds a Master's degree in Law from the University of Pennsylvania and has practised law for nearly two decades.
AAP's official biography said she had taken on multiple organisational responsibilities after joining the party in 2013, including work in Telangana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, besides advising Sanjay Singh.
After joining Congress, Kakkar said her decision was driven by her desire to restore what she regarded as the character of the Delhi in which she grew up, while also calling for opposition parties and voters to come together against the BJP and on the issue of Gyanesh Kumar.