Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 14 November 2025
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has reconstituted its Andaman & Nicobar Islands unit, with the revamp being steered by former BSP Lok Sabha candidate (2024) for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Parliamentary Constituency, Dr. Arun Mallik, who officially joined AAP on 9 November 2025.
Addressing his first press briefing in Sri Vijaya Puram on Thursday, Dr. Mallik said he was grateful to AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, AAP’s national organisational in-charge and Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Sandeep Pathak, and senior leader and legal advisor Advocate Deepak Vajpayee for reposing faith in him and entrusting him with the responsibility of rebuilding the party from the ground up. He recalled that Sanjay Singh personally welcomed him into the party by placing the AAP cap and scarf on him.
Several local associates were also acknowledged for supporting the efforts to reorganise the party’s island unit.
Dr. Mallik announced that AAP will hold a large public meeting at Tiranga Park in December 2025, which will be attended by senior national leaders such as Sanjay Singh and Advocate Deepak Vajpayee. Major announcements for the Andaman & Nicobar unit are expected at this gathering.
Speaking about the ideological and organisational vision for the reconstituted unit, Dr. Mallik said the party’s work in the Islands would be guided by AAP’s three pillars of patriotism, honesty and humanity. He set four central objectives for the unit: establishing and strengthening AAP’s organisational structure in every district, tehsil and village; spreading the party’s ideology while raising a strong and consistent voice against corruption and injustice; preparing candidates for the 2027 local body elections; and laying down a roadmap for participation in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. He emphasised that the party aims to promote “alternative politics” and adapt the welfare-based governance approach demonstrated in Delhi and Punjab—particularly in school education and healthcare—to the specific context of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Dr. Mallik laid out an extensive organisational plan for the coming months. The party will soon appoint a full leadership team including a president, vice president, secretary, joint secretary and executive members. District coordinators for South Andaman, North & Middle Andaman and Nicobar will be named, with both male and female coordinators to ensure balanced representation. AAP also plans to create separate cells for media, women and youth outreach. The unit will launch a major membership campaign across all 547 villages of the Union Territory, along with a booth-level structure that corresponds to the administration’s 411 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), which Dr. Mallik cited as the organisational basis. In an attempt to mobilise young people, the party will initiate vigorous student engagement in higher education institutes such as DBRAIT, ANIMS and others under a new student collective “Association for Students for Alternative Politics.” The party will also open a temporary office in the Islands, begin fundraising, expand its digital outreach and undertake structured field visits to Diglipur, Rangat, Mayabunder, Sri Vijaya Puram, Ferrargunj, Little Andaman, Campbell Bay, Car Nicobar, Katchal, Nancowry and Teressa. Dr. Mallik said the party is also planning a state-level meeting for late 2026.
A large part of the press briefing was devoted to issues facing the Islands and the areas where Dr. Mallik said AAP intends to push for reforms. On health, he acknowledged that while there has been progress, many systemic weaknesses continue to affect service delivery. As a doctor himself, he stressed the importance of improving infrastructure, staffing, and accessibility but cautioned against “misinformation-driven criticism” that diverts attention from long-term planning. He added that the welfare-focused governance model of Delhi and Punjab—especially in public health—offers lessons that could be adapted for the Islands.
In the education sector, Dr. Mallik highlighted serious gaps in higher education and reiterated his opposition to the proposed “Deemed University” concept in its present form, arguing that it does not address the structural deficiencies affecting students. On employment, he argued that although 100 percent reservation is not feasible, a 90 percent reservation policy for islanders is “possible”, reiterating that such an approach is essential for protecting local opportunities. He also pressed for long-pending Other Backward Class (OBC) recognition for historically settled communities such as Chotanagpuri workers, Tamil and Malayali Settlers, and certain long-settled families including children of teachers who migrated decades ago.
Dr. Mallik was also sharply critical of the condition of the NH-4 highway, especially in North & Middle Andaman, alleging corruption and substandard work by executing agencies. Although officials have committed to completing the highway by June 2026, he said he had little confidence in the claim unless transparency and accountability improve. On transportation and shipping, he criticised the lack of adequate inter-island passenger vessels and questioned the logic of prioritising routes catering to tourism when residents continue to face basic mobility difficulties.
Addressing chronic power and water shortages, Dr. Mallik described these as long-standing structural challenges that require engineering and planning-based solutions rather than sit-in protests. He welcomed recent administrative action against illegal construction and land encroachment in Sri Vijaya Puram, stating that public pressure and awareness campaigns contributed to officials taking these issues seriously. He encouraged the administration to maintain strict vigilance and continue action against illegal earth-cutting and unauthorised development.
On tourism, Dr. Mallik said infrastructure has not kept pace, connectivity, sanitation, transport and water supply remain inadequate. Speaking about the Great Nicobar Project, he said he supports it in principle, but insists that the rights of Nicobarese and particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) must not be compromised. He called for a transparent review of the clearance process to ensure that ancestral land protections remain intact.
Dr. Mallik also raised concerns about street vendors, noting that 676 vendors in the Islands are officially recognised and must receive proper support. He spoke about illegal immigration and commended past police operations against fraudulent resident certificates, including cases involving political figures. He pointed out that thousands of workers who migrated decades ago still lack permanent land titles despite living in the Islands for nearly 70 years.
He further alleged irregularities in the 2024 voter list, including wrongful deletions, impersonation risks and duplicate registrations. He said he has contacted the Chief Electoral Officer seeking stronger verification, accurate EPIC issuance and improved BLO field work. He added that AAP volunteers will assist in ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded from the rolls ahead of the 2027 local body elections.
On law and order, Dr. Mallik declared zero tolerance for drugs and noted that he is a member of both the State-level Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan Committee and a town vending committee. He said he prefers collaboration with the administration at every level—secretariat, subdivisions and villages—to achieve public outcomes, and asserted that protests would only be used when necessary. He also pledged to help pursue justice in the murder cases of Journalist Shahadev Dey and Anish Toppo, which he said had caused considerable concern among island communities.
Responding to a question about the 2024 excise case involving Arvind Kejriwal, Dr. Mallik admitted that public perception of AAP was initially affected but said recent court proceedings have repeatedly demanded stronger evidence from investigative agencies. He insisted that AAP’s governance model continues to appeal to ordinary citizens. He said AAP would counter negative impressions through sustained grassroots work, problem-solving and direct engagement with residents.
Dr. Mallik concluded by laying out a timeline for AAP’s activities. After his formal induction on 9 November, the December 2025 mass rally at Tiranga Park will serve as the first major public milestone. Throughout 2025 and 2026, the unit will focus on membership drives, tehsil-level tours, BLO coordination, establishing the party office and strengthening administrative engagement. A state-level meeting is planned for late 2026, after which the party aims to contest the 2027 local body elections across all tiers, followed by implementation of its roadmap for contesting the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
(This story has been compiled using video reports from other local media outlets, as Nicobar Times was not invited to the press conference.)
