The Eight AAP MLAs Who Defected to BJP: From Loyalists to Rebels

Legislators Cite Corruption and Betrayal of AAP’s Founding Principles as Reasons for Their Exit

In a dramatic political shift, eight Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs resigned from the party on Friday, accusing the leadership of corruption and abandoning its core values. Their exit comes ahead of the February 5 Delhi elections, with all of them joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a day later.

These legislators, who had won the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections on AAP tickets, expressed frustration over the party’s internal functioning, alleging a lack of democracy and growing favoritism. However, a key factor behind their discontent appears to be their exclusion from AAP’s candidate list for the upcoming elections. The party dropped them, citing anti-incumbency and negative feedback from its support base.

Madan Lal, the sitting MLA from Kasturba Nagar, who was among those who defected, revealed that 20 sitting MLAs had been denied tickets, and hinted that more could leave AAP in the coming days.

A Mass Exodus to BJP

On Saturday, the eight MLAs officially joined the BJP in the presence of the party’s national vice-president and Delhi in-charge, Baijayant Panda. Calling it a “historic day,” Panda took a dig at AAP, referring to it as the “AAP-da (disaster) party.” Some of the MLAs admitted they had waited until the last date of nomination, hoping AAP would reconsider their candidacy, but after being ignored, they chose to leave.

Among the most vocal critics was Madan Lal, a three-time MLA from Kasturba Nagar, who had been with AAP since its inception. In his resignation letter, he accused the party of indulging in the very corruption it had vowed to fight. “The AAP was created to end corruption in Delhi, but today, it has become the symbol of corruption,” he alleged.

Who Are the Eight MLAs Who Quit AAP?

1. Naresh Yadav (Mehrauli)
   A two-time MLA, Yadav was convicted last year in a Quran desecration case and sentenced to two years in prison. Initially named as an AAP candidate, he was later replaced by a former Congress leader. Yadav claims Kejriwal sidelined him for political reasons, despite his longstanding association with the party.

2. Bhupinder Singh Joon (Bijwasan)
   Joon, a former lawyer, won in 2020 with the narrowest margin of the elections—753 votes. He alleges that AAP dropped him in favor of a candidate with a criminal record. “The leadership is corrupt, and ticket distribution was rigged,” he claimed.

3. Rohit Kumar Mehraulia (Trilokpuri)
   A Dalit leader and AAP member since the India Against Corruption movement, Mehraulia accused Kejriwal of using Dalits as a vote bank while suppressing their voices within the party. He was replaced by a first-time candidate, Anjana Parcha.

4. Bhavna Gaur (Palam)
   A two-time MLA, Gaur had been a part of AAP since 2012. She had secured massive victory margins in both 2015 and 2020 but was denied a ticket this time. In her resignation letter, she expressed her loss of faith in Kejriwal’s leadership.

5. Pawan Sharma (Adarsh Nagar)
   Having represented Adarsh Nagar since 2015, Sharma saw his winning margin shrink in 2020. He was replaced by Mukesh Goel, a councillor. Sharma criticized AAP for betraying its core supporters and accused the leadership of engaging in backroom deals.

6. Rajesh Rishi (Janakpuri)
   A long-time party member, Rishi won consecutive elections in 2015 and 2020. However, he was replaced by Jangpura MLA Praveen Kumar, who vacated his seat for former deputy CM Manish Sisodia. Rishi accused AAP of prioritizing personal ambitions over public service.

7. Girish Soni (Madipur)
   A three-time MLA, Soni was replaced by Rakhi Bidlan, the current Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. He cited the party’s declining credibility and leadership’s “hypocrisy” as reasons for his departure.

8. Madan Lal (Kasturba Nagar)
   A founding AAP member and three-time MLA, Lal was dropped in favor of Ramesh Pehalwan, a former BJP leader. Calling AAP a party of opportunists, he accused Kejriwal of turning it into a dictatorship.

What’s Next?

The defection of these MLAs, most of whom have been with AAP since its early days, signals internal discontent within the party. While they cite corruption and lack of internal democracy as primary reasons, their removal from the candidate list appears to have played a crucial role.

As Delhi gears up for elections, AAP now faces an aggressive challenge from the BJP, which has welcomed the defectors with open arms. With more sitting MLAs potentially leaving, Kejriwal’s party may have to navigate growing dissent even as it campaigns to retain power.