New Delhi: In a likely blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) just days before the Delhi assembly election, several of its leaders including two councillors joined the BJP on Tuesday.
Among those who left AAP to join hands with the BJP are former MLA from Ghonda in northeast Delhi Sridatt Sharma, Bhajanpura councillor Rekha Rani and Shilpa Kaur, the councillor from Khayala in West Delhi.
Chaudhary Bijender Pradhan, the MP representative of AAP’s Sanjay Singh, also joined the BJP.
The leaders were inducted into the BJP during a press meet in the presence of Union minister Harsh Malhotra, BJP MPs Manoj Tiwari and Kamaljeet Sehrawat who underscored the party’s strategy to strengthen its position in the elections.
Shilpa Kaur’s move to the BJP follows a trend in west Delhi, where two other municipal councillors joined the saffron party just a few ago.
The growing list of defections highlights the BJP’s efforts to consolidate its base by attracting prominent figures from rival parties. The leaders cited their reasons for leaving AAP, expressing confidence in the BJP’s vision and leadership.
The BJP, on its part, welcomed the new members, emphasising their contributions to the party’s growth and influence in Delhi politics.
Assembly elections on Delhi’s 70 seats will be held on February 5 and the counting of votes on February 8. The ruling AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal is eyeing a third term in the national capital while its main rival BJP is aiming to dethrone the ruling party, targeting it on allegations of corruption involving the excise policy case and the crores of Rupees reportedly spent by Kejriwal on lavish renovations at the Delhi chief minister’s during his tenure.
