Delhi, February 1: Eight legislators from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, just days before the Delhi Assembly elections. Their move came a day after they resigned, citing ticket denial and corruption within AAP as their reasons for leaving.
With Delhi set to vote on February 5, this development could pose a significant challenge for AAP, potentially affecting its voter base. The election results will be declared on February 8.
Meanwhile, AAP MLA Rituraj Jha accused the BJP of luring legislators with incentives. He claimed that he, too, was approached but refused to leave AAP, vowing to stay with the party till the end.
Between November 21 and December 20, AAP had released five candidate lists, announcing 70 nominees. In the process, 26 sitting MLAs were denied tickets, while the constituencies of four others were changed.
The defection of these eight MLAs so close to polling day is seen as a significant political shift in the lead-up to the elections.
