JOIN USSpeaker Ram Niwas Goel accepted his deputy Bandana Kumari's resignation on Saturday. The Shalimar Bagh MLA filed her resignation after she failed to help the AAP win a seat in the recently held civic by-polls.
She had quit last week taking responsibility for the party’s defeat in ward number 55, Shalimar Bagh, which falls in her constituency by the same name.
A statement issued by the government said Goel has accepted Kumari's resignation.
"With this, the office of Deputy Speaker of Legislative Assembly of NCT of Delhi has fallen vacant w.e.f. the fore-noon of Saturday, the 4th of June, 2016," the statement said.
Kumari had first sent her resignation to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following defeat of Shalimar Bagh candidate Anvika Mittal. Sources alleged that she campaigned for the candidate’s defeat, as the AAP was unwilling to cancel Mittal’s nomination despite her insistence.
Mangolpuri MLA Rakhi Birla is tipped to be the next Deputy Speaker and she is expected to be administered the oath of office during the Assembly session next week. Birla was a minister in the previous AAP government. Sources said Kumari was asked to step down.
Hours after the government issued the statement, Delhi Assembly website continue to show Kumari as the Deputy Speaker. She has been actively involved in social service since her youth, he profile on the website says.
She has contested first election in December 2013 Delhi Assembly polls and was elected as member of the Fifth Legislative Assembly (2013-14). She was again elected as member of Sixth Legislative Assembly from Shalimar Bagh Assembly Constituency in February, 2015.
Last month, AAP fell short of a decisive victory in the MCD by-polls, winning 5 of the 13 wards.
However, the party claimed it is in a great shape to repeat the sweep it showed in the last year’s Assembly elections and it was good.