3 AAP councillors, former leader defect to BJP ahead of mayoral poll

In a significant political development months before the Municipal Corporation of Delhi mayoral elections, three AAP councillors and a former party leader switched allegiance to the BJP on Saturday.

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The defections were formalised during a ceremony attended by Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva.

The three AAP councillors who joined the BJP are Anita Basoya from Ward 145 (Andrews Ganj), Nikhil Chaprana from Ward 183 (Hari Nagar) and Dharamveer from Ward 152 (RK Puram). Additionally, Sandeep Basoya, former New Delhi district president of AAP, also made the move to the BJP, strengthening the party’s position in Delhi.

In a press conference, Sachdeva welcomed the new members, draping them with BJP scarves and declared that Delhi would soon witness the formation of a “triple-engine government” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He assured the public that, with the support of the people, the BJP would complete stalled development projects and work towards a progressive Delhi.

Sachdeva further criticised AAP’s governance over the past decade. He said those who truly wanted to see Delhi progress were now aligning with the BJP.

Praveen Shankar Kapoor, media head of the Delhi BJP, echoed the sentiment, stating that AAP had been “held together by the glue of power” and predicted that many more nationalist workers would abandon the party soon.

This latest development follows the BJP’s impressive victory in the Delhi Assembly elections where it secured 48 seats. The defection of key AAP members presents a major challenge to the party as it prepares for the upcoming MCD mayoral elections later this year.