8 outgoing AAP MLAs join BJP ahead of Delhi Assembly election 

Eight outgoing AAP MLAs joined BJP here on Saturday, with only four days to go for the February 5 Delhi Assembly election.

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All the eight MLAs resigned from the primary membership of AAP on Friday, citing reasons like alleged corruption and the Arvind Kejriwal-led party’s deviation from its ideology.

All the eight legislators were denied poll tickets by AAP this time.

The MLAs who joined BJP are Vandana Gaur (Palam), Rohit Mehraulia (Trilokpuri), Girish Soni (Madipur), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Rajesh Rishi (Uttam Nagar), BS Joon (Bijwasan), Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli) and Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar).

After resigning from AAP, they said they had also sent their resignation letters to the Assembly Speaker, relinquishing their membership of the House.

Former AAP MLA Vijender Garg and several other leaders of the Kejriwal-led party too joined the saffron outfit in the presence of Baijayant Panda, its national vice-president and the in-charge of Delhi BJP, and state president Virendra Sachdeva.

Welcoming the MLAs and leaders to BJP, Panda said it is a “historic” day as they have gotten rid of “AAPda” (disaster) and hoped that after the February 5 poll, Delhi too will be freed from it.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on February 5, with the results set to be declared on February 8.