Delhi elections: 8 AAP MLAs join BJP days before polls

NEW DELHI: Eight Aam Aadmi Party MLAs on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, a day after resigning from AAP, dealing a fresh blow to the party as it gears up for the February 5 elections.
The resignations came after the legislators were denied tickets to contest the upcoming elections.

In their resignation letters, they accused AAP of straying from its founding ideals of transparency and corruption-free governance.They alleged the party had become centralised, opaque, and lacking internal democracy.
Among those who resigned were Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli), Rohit Kumar (Trilokpuri), Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar), Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri), Bhavna Gaud (Palam), Bhupinder Singh Joon (Bijwasan), Pawan Kumar Sharma (Adarsh Nagar), and Girish Soni (Madipur).
Madan Lal and Bhavna Gaud stated they had "lost faith" in AAP and its leader Arvind Kejriwal. Rohit Kumar, who represented the Dalit-dominated Trilokpuri constituency, accused AAP of exploiting the Dalit/Valmiki community for votes while failing to deliver on promises, such as ending contractual employment and regularising temporary workers.
Naresh Yadav, once a strong supporter of AAP’s rise to power, expressed disappointment over the suppression of internal voices, while Rajesh Rishi accused the party of abandoning its commitment to transparency and accountability.
Pawan Kumar Sharma, resigning from Adarsh Nagar, said, "The party has deviated from the honest ideology on which it was formed. I am deeply saddened by AAP’s current state."
Bhupinder Singh Joon also cited a "significant deviation" from AAP’s original values, stating that the party, once envisioned as a people-centric movement against corruption, had become increasingly autocratic.
The high-profile exits come at a crucial time for AAP, which is locked in a fierce electoral battle with the BJP. The Delhi Assembly elections will be held on February 5, with votes set to be counted on February 8.