Eight resigned AAP MLAs join BJP ahead of Delhi Assembly elections

New Delhi: In a major political shift ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs resigned and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (February 1).

The legislators were inducted into the BJP in the presence of Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and national vice president Baijayant Jay Panda.

The MLAs who switched sides include Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar), Girish Soni (Madipur), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), BS June (Bijwasan), Bhavna Gaur (Palam), Rohit Mehraulia (Trilokpuri), Madan Lal and Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli).

The resignations come a day after eight AAP MLAs announced their departure from the party, citing dissatisfaction over not being given tickets for the upcoming elections.

Sources suggest the legislators were in talks with other parties after being denied renomination. Some shared their resignations on social media, accusing AAP of corruption and other issues.

AAP’s response

Reacting to the resignations, AAP national spokesperson Reena Gupta claimed a party survey had found that the MLAs were not actively engaging with their constituents, which led to their exclusion from the candidate list.

“We did not give them tickets due to poor survey results. If they are joining another party after being denied a ticket, it is not surprising. This is a part of politics,” she said.