New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS): In a major political development just days before the Delhi Assembly elections, four leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including two municipal councillors, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday.
The leaders cited dissatisfaction with the functioning of the AAP-led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and claimed that the lack of development and mismanagement prompted their decision to switch parties.
Shilpa Kaur, AAP's councillor from Bhajanpura, expressed her frustration with the lack of development in her area. She stated, "The development work in my area has come to a complete halt. It has been two years since the MCD government was formed under the AAP, but only minimal work has been done. The councillors are receiving minimal funds how can such a large area be developed with just 10 or 15 lakh rupees?"
Rekha Rani, another Municipal Councillor who joined the BJP, highlighted her disappointment with the governance under AAP. She said, "I have been influenced by the BJP's policies and have decided to join the party. Not just me, but people from my community are also joining. Under the AAP government, councillors are unable to get any work done due to a lack of budget and policies. None of the promises they made have been fulfilled, and there are no functioning committees, budget presentations, or sessions. The situation is dire, and residents are unhappy."
Rani further added, "They promised a pothole-free Delhi, removal of garbage mountains, and cleaning of the Yamuna. But nothing has been done. Their corruption is being exposed, and their senior leaders are landing in jail. The public will make their stance clear in this election."
Meanwhile, Shridutt Sharma, a former AAP MLA from Gonda and Chaudhary Bijender Pradhan, MP representative of AAP’s Sanjay Singh, also joined the BJP.
The joining ceremony of these two leaders took place in the presence of senior BJP leaders, including Union Minister Harsh Malhotra, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, and BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat.
The new entrants emphasised their commitment to serving the people under the BJP’s leadership.