NEW DELHI: Anjali Damania, senior AAP leader from Maharashtra, resigned from party on Wednesday, saying she backed Arvind Kejriwal for "principles, not horse-trading".

"I quit. I have not come into AAP for this nonsense. I believed him. I backed Arvind for principles, not horse trading," Anjali Damania said in a tweet.

Moments after Anjali Damania's announcement to quit AAP, Yogendra Yadav said that he and Prashant Bhushan have written an open letter to party volunteers.

"After the AAP statement, Prashant Bhushan and I have written a letter in response," Yogendra Yadav told reporters.

"I ask all AAP leaders to stay quiet and think about what has happened so far," Yogendra Yadav said.

On Tuesday, four leaders known to be close to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had accused colleagues Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan of attempting to defeat the party in the February election.

The allegation by Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, minister Gopai Rai and Aam Aadmi Party leaders Pankaj Gupta and Sanjay Singh prompted Yadav to say he hoped the charge would lead to an "open, transparent dialogue" so that the truth prevails.

In a joint statement, the four leaders clarified that the AAP national executive decided on March 4 to "release" Bhushan and Yadav from the political affairs committee (PAC) — the party's highest decision making body — and assign them new responsibilities.

"While all workers were struggling to ensure the party's victory, the trio - Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Shanti Bhushan - were making all-out efforts for the party's defeat (in Delhi)," the statement said.

"The PAC did not publicise the reasons behind the move as it could affect the senior duo's reputation," it said, in reference to Prashant Bhushan, an AAP founder member and a senior Supreme Court advocate, and Yadav, who is widely seen as a leading political expert. Shanti Bhushan is Prashant Bhushan's father and also a leading advocate.

"But the manner in which an atmosphere has been created that the National Executive was undemocratic and irresponsible, and the questions raised in the minds of the AAP activists, we are compelled to give this explanation," the statement added.

The statement comes after Maharashtra AAP leader Mayank Gandhi, in his blog, questioned the wisdom of sacking Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from the PAC when they were ready to leave with an honourable exit route.

Gandhi later said he was being targeted over his remarks.