NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has re-elected Arvind Kejriwal as its national convener and constituted a new 23-member National Executive, the party said after its 15th National Council meeting on Wednesday.The meeting was held through video conference and was chaired by Kejriwal. A total of 330 members attended, according to the party.Kejriwal has been AAP’s national convener since the party was founded in 2012.Pankaj Gupta was elected national secretary, while N D Gupta will continue as the party’s national treasurer, AAP said.The new 23-member National Executive includes Kejriwal, Atishi, Adil Ahmad Khan, Anurag Dhanda, Bhagwant Mann, Dilip Pandey, Durgesh Pathak, Gopal Italia, Gopal Rai, Rani Agarwal, Harpal Singh Cheema, Manish Sisodia, Mohammad Irshad, N D Gupta, Pankaj Gupta, Preeti Sharma Menon, Prithvi Reddy, Rakhi Birla, Vibhav, Sanjay Singh, Satyendar Jain, Shelly Oberoi and Rajbir.The party also appointed five special invitees to the National Executive — Ajay Dutt, Chaitar Vasava, Imran Hussain, Mehraj Malik and Venzy Viegas.During the meeting, Kejriwal and other senior leaders briefed members on the party’s future strategy, according to AAP.AAP national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda congratulated Kejriwal on his re-election.“Heartiest congratulations to Arvind Kejriwal on being unanimously re-elected the national convenor by the newly formed national council of AAP. Under your guidance, we are ready for every struggle,” Dhanda said in a post on X in Hindi.AAP was formally launched in Delhi on November 26, 2012, by Kejriwal and other activists who emerged from the anti-corruption movement demanding a strong Lokpal law. The Election Commission recognised it as a political party in 2013.Kejriwal, a former Indian Revenue Service officer, played a key role in turning the movement into a political party. He argued that entering electoral politics was necessary to bring changes in governance and tackle corruption.AAP contested its first Delhi Assembly election in 2013, with Kejriwal defeating then chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the New Delhi constituency.The party went on to form governments in Delhi and expand its political presence beyond the national capital, including in Punjab.Kejriwal served as Delhi chief minister in three separate terms between 2013 and 2024.
