New Delhi, Apr 24 (PTI) Ahead of the election of mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), AAP councillor Sunita joined the BJP on Monday.
Welcoming Dwarka C ward councillor Sunita into the party fold, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva alleged that common volunteers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were treated like “bonded labourers”.
AAP leader Durgesh Pathak alleged that the BJP was offering crores of rupees to party councillors to switch sides ahead of the mayoral election.
The elections for the posts of MCD mayor and deputy mayor will be held on April 26.
The AAP councillor joining the BJP will, however, have little impact on the mayoral poll.
The AAP defeated the BJP in MCD elections in December 2022, winning 134 wards.
The BJP managed to register victories in 104 of the 250 wards.
Sunita is the second AAP councillor to join the BJP. Earlier, Pawan Sehrawat from Bawana ward joined the BJP in February this year.
Apart from Sunita, former councillor Ram Niwas from the AAP also joined the BJP.
West Delhi BJP MP Parvesh Verma alleged that many other AAP leaders are feeling “suffocated” and expected to soon join the BJP.
Sunita said she had close ties with the BJP, particularly Verma, and expressed her desire to work hard to strengthen the BJP.
Pathak, who is incharge of MCD affairs of AAP, said the BJP resorted to “cheap politics” and alleged its only motive was to buy councillors by “hook or by crook”.
“BJP is offering crores of rupees to councillors to switch sides. MCD was a big source of BJP’s loot and that’s why they are restless after losing the MCD polls,” charged Pathak.
He expressed confidence that the AAP will give a befitting reply to BJP in the upcoming elections and accused the saffron party of not accepting the mandate of the Delhi people and still trying to buy councillors to “usurp” power in the civic body.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor hit back, saying Pathak should control “growing corruption” in the AAP otherwise soon a large number of its councillors and senior leaders may quit the party. PTI VIT SMN
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