Former convener of the Aam Aadmi Party's Punjab unit, Sucha Singh Chotepur, resigned from primary membership of the party on Friday. He was removed from the post on August 26, following allegations that he had taken money from a party volunteer and was promised a government office in return.
Chotepur's resignation from the party follows reports that he would join cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu's new front. Sidhu, a former Rajya Sabha MP with the Bharatiya Janata Party, later said Aawaaz-e-Punjab would be a forum, not a political party. He had also said that he would float a new party in Punjab soon to provide the state's people with an alternative to the AAP, Congress and Akali Dal-BJP alliance.
A video had emerged in which he was purportedly seen taking a packet of cash from the volunteer, but Chotepur claimed he had merely accepted "party funds" from the volunteer. However, it is against party policies to accept donations in cash. Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi was appointed AAP's Punjab convener on September 4.
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