Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 30: In a major political shift ahead of the civic by-elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and two-time MLA Rajesh Gupta joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva welcomed him into the party, presenting the traditional stole in the presence of MLA Rajkumar Bhatia and media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor.
Gupta turned emotional while recalling his journey in the AAP and accused party national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of treating workers as “use-and-throw” commodities. He said this attitude was a major reason behind the party’s collapse.
“When the AAP was formed, many respected people joined Kejriwal with high hopes, but he betrayed everyone. One by one, they left him. Today, unfortunately, I too have joined that list,” Gupta said. His disenchantment reportedly deepened after the party allotted a municipal poll ticket to a person who had earlier received a notice from the AAP itself.
Welcoming Gupta, Sachdeva said he had earned a reputation as a responsible MLA, but Kejriwal failed to value his contributions. He also questioned Kejriwal’s absence from Delhi and the circumstances surrounding his exit, stating that they “demand close examination.”
Sachdeva alleged that AAP’s 12-year rule left Delhi burdened with mismanagement. “The new government is working to reduce this burden gradually. Kejriwal, who calls himself Delhi’s son, has disappeared because the city has now seen his true face,” he remarked. Drawing a sharp analogy, he added that “just as Aurangzeb plundered Delhi, Kejriwal, Sisodia and other AAP leaders have damaged the city before settling comfortably in Punjab.”
Gupta’s switch to the BJP comes a day before the crucial Municipal Corporation of Delhi by-elections. A total of 53 candidates are contesting for 12 seats, nine of which were previously held by the BJP. These polls mark the first major political test in the national capital since the party returned to power in the February assembly elections after 27 years.
Political observers say the by-elections are being viewed as a virtual referendum on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s nine-month-old government.