Priyanka Kakkar Joins Congress After Quitting AAP, Says She Could No Longer Defend Party's Actions

Addressing the media after joining the Congress, Kakkar said she wanted Delhi to return to being a green, clean, progressive and safe city. She said her experience in Indian politics had led her to believe that the Congress could work towards that vision.

Kakkar also spoke favourably about Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, describing him as an authentic political leader who, in her view, had remained willing to express his opinions despite criticism.

Explaining her decision to leave the AAP, Kakkar alleged that the party had changed significantly from the organisation she had joined. She claimed that the AAP had initially attracted committed and capable people but had subsequently struggled to retain them.

Kakkar cited what she described as a shift in the party's approach to issues such as the use of official residences and travel arrangements. She alleged that leaders who had earlier projected a different political style later began using facilities such as private helicopters.

She also alleged that some leaders who, according to her, had not performed booth-level work in Rajasthan were subsequently given organisational positions in Punjab along with other privileges.

Kakkar further referred to Rahul Gandhi's criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raised concerns about voting rights and the functioning of electoral institutions. She said she believed these matters should be discussed more widely.

Kakkar joined the AAP in 2013 and was appointed the party's national spokesperson in 2023. During her time with the organisation, she held several organisational responsibilities.

According to her profile previously shared by the AAP, Kakkar served as the party's Telangana observer between 2017 and 2019 and later worked as legal head for the South Delhi parliamentary constituency. She was also involved in Raghav Chadha's Lok Sabha campaign.

Between 2021 and 2023, she served as an adviser to Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. She also worked as the party's legal observer for Uttar Pradesh and was part of a 12-member monitoring committee for the state's organisation.

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