Big setback for Arvind Kejriwal as two AAP councillors join BJP ahead of Delhi Assembly elections

Delhi Assembly Election 2025: The upcoming Delhi Assembly elections are set to witness a triangular contest among the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Congress. The polling is scheduled to take place on February 5.

Delhi Assembly Elections 2025: In a setback to the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, two of its councillors switched sides to Join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. The duo councillors have been identified as Ravinder Solanki and Narender Girsa. Solanki, an MCD councillor from Baprola ward and Girsa from Manglapuri, joined the BJP in the presence of the party's state unit president Virendra Sachdeva and West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat.

The two wards come under Sehrawat's constituency. Sehrawat said the two councillors were among the founding members of the Aam Aadmi Party and were disillusioned with party national convener Arvind Kejriwal's politics and policies. "Solanki and Girsa have not changed sides, Kejriwal has changed which forced them to leave the party," she said.

Kailash Gahlot joins BJP

Last year in November, former AAP leader and minister Kailash Gahlot had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and BJP national vice president Baijayant Panda in New Delhi. After joining the BJP, Gahlot said some people must be thinking that this decision was taken overnight and under someone's pressure. "I want to tell them that I have never done anything under anyone's pressure till date...I am hearing that an attempt is being made to build a narrative that it was done under the pressure of ED and CBI but all this is wrong," he added. 

Delhi Assembly Election 2025

The Election Commission on India (ECI) has announced the schedule for the upcoming Assembly elections in Delhi. As per the Election Commission, the national capital will be voting in a single phase on February 5 to elect members for all 70 seats. Meanwhile, the results will be declared on February 8. The upcoming Delhi Assembly elections are set to witness a triangular contest among the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Congress. The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP will aim for its third consecutive term, riding on its previous electoral successes. Meanwhile, the BJP and Congress are preparing to challenge AAP's dominance in the capital.

ALSO READ: Arvind Kejriwal promises to provide free bus travel to students if AAP returns to power in Delhi