Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel Quits Electoral Politics

Delhi Assembly Speaker and Shahdra MLA Ram Niwas Goel on Thursday announced his retirement from electoral politics in a letter written to Aam Aadmi Party Party Party National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr Goel (76) cited his age as the reason for withdrawing from the electoral fray, however, he assured Mr Kejriwal to continue serving the party.

The two-time MLA's retirement, ahead of the Delhi Assembly election, comes as a major blow for AAP.

In a letter written to Mr Kejriwal, Mr Goel said, "I humbly want to inform you that for the last 10 years. I have efficiently performed my duties as MLA and Speaker of Shahdara Vidhan Sabha. You have always given me a lot of respect for which I will always be grateful to you. The party and all the MLAs have also given me a lot of respect, for which I express my gratitude to everyone."