In a significant political development just four days before the Delhi legislative assembly elections, eight outgoing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, who resigned from the party, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday.
Along with them, AAP municipal councillor Sunil Chaddha and five former councillors also switched allegiance to the BJP, bringing in hundreds of their supporters.
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This move is seen as a setback for AAP, as all eight MLAs held considerable influence in their respective assembly constituencies.
The leaders who joined the BJP include Bhavna Gaur (Palam), Rohit Kumar Mehraulia (Trilokpuri), Girish Soni (Madipur), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), BS Joon (Bijwasan), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), and Pawan Kumar Sharma (Adarsh Nagar).
The MLAs cited various reasons for their resignation, including allegations of corruption within AAP and their loss of faith in Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership. Some claimed the party had strayed from its founding principles and ideology.
BJP’s Delhi in-charge, Baijayant Panda, welcomed the new members in the presence of state unit chief Virendra Sachdeva and media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor.
Addressing the event, Panda stated that these leaders were now “free from AAP” and expressed confidence that Delhi was ready for a change in leadership.
He accused AAP of spreading falsehoods, including claims that the Haryana government had poisoned the Yamuna.
Panda also criticized the AAP-led Delhi government for failing to fulfill its promises, such as improving road infrastructure and cleaning the Yamuna, while allegedly being involved in various scams.
Furthermore, Panda took a dig at Arvind Kejriwal for what he called a “U-turn” on his promise to live in a modest residence, alleging that the Delhi Chief Minister instead built a lavish “Sheesh Mahal” for himself during the COVID-19 crisis when people were suffering.
Interestingly, AAP had denied these sitting MLAs tickets for the upcoming elections, which is also speculated to be a key reason behind their resignations.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Harsh Malhotra welcomed Sunil Chaddha and other former AAP councillors into the BJP. Chaddha, a three-time councillor, was joined by numerous supporters.
Malhotra remarked that the mass resignation of AAP MLAs and councillors was a clear indication that not only the people of Delhi but also members of Kejriwal’s own party had lost faith in his leadership.
