Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar formally joined the Indian National Congress on Saturday, 3 October 2026, in New Delhi, declaring she could no longer defend what she termed the 'indefensible' actions of her decade-long party. The switch marks another high-profile exit from the AAP amid sustained organisational turbulence.

Why She Left AAP

Addressing reporters at a press conference, Kakkar alleged that the AAP's conduct had drifted sharply from its founding ideals. She charged the party with abandoning its early pledge of austerity, specifically citing the use of private helicopters by its leaders — a contrast, she said, to the anti-bungalow, anti-privilege posture that originally drew her to the movement.

'I have left AAP because they used to show that they would not take bungalows and all, but they started travelling in private choppers. I could no longer defend the indefensible,' she said. She also alleged that certain leaders who had reportedly failed to deliver booth-level organisational work in Rajasthan were subsequently rewarded with positions and privileges in Punjab.

Kakkar's Case for Congress

Kakkar made clear her shift was not merely a departure but a considered arrival. She expressed strong support for Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, describing him as an authentic political figure unafraid to hold unconventional positions. 'If any leader in our country's politics today is truly authentic and isn't afraid to promote authenticity, it is Rahul Gandhi, who is the only leader today who hasn't shed tears for the camera, remaining resilient despite an entire machinery being deployed to humiliate and demean him,' she said.

She also invoked Gandhi's criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raised concerns about voting rights and the health of electoral institutions, arguing these issues deserved wider public attention.

Her AAP Career and Background

Kakkar joined the AAP in 2013, drawn by the movement around AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Over the following decade she held a string of organisational roles — serving as Telangana observer from 2017 to 2019, as legal head of the South Delhi parliamentary constituency, and as an adviser to Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh from 2021 to 2023. She was also part of a 12-member monitoring committee for Uttar Pradesh's organisational wing and contributed to Raghav Chadha's Lok Sabha campaign. The AAP appointed her its National Spokesperson in 2023.

Kakkar holds a master's degree in law from the University of Pennsylvania and has been practising law for 17 years.

Broader Context

This is the latest in a series of exits that have strained the AAP's national image, particularly following its reverses in the 2025 Delhi assembly elections and ongoing internal churn. Critics argue the defections expose a gap between the party's anti-establishment messaging and its governance record. The Congress, meanwhile, has been systematically courting credentialed AAP functionaries to rebuild its capital footprint ahead of future Delhi contests. How much electoral weight Kakkar's profile carries remains to be seen, but her profile — legal expertise, decade-long AAP seniority — gives the Congress a credible narrative asset.