A large number of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers on Tuesday joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh, a development that comes just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Besides the AAP, leaders of some smaller outfits either merged their organisations with the BJP or joined it with their supporters as Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the entry of all of them will strengthen the ruling party.
The party led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal failed to open its account in the Chhattisgarh assembly elections last year and the latest move is being seen as a major setback to the AAP ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
"A large number of political leaders and ex-servicemen joined the BJP under a new membership drive. They were inducted at a function held at Kushabhau Thakre Parisar, the headquarters of the state BJP in capital Raipur," the Chhattisgarh unit of the saffron outfit said in a statement.
Several office-bearers and workers of the AAP's state unit were among those who joined the BJP.
On the occasion, Vinod Kumar Patel of the Akhand Loktantrik Party merged his outfit with the BJP, while Mahendra Pratap Singh Rana of the Sainik Party joined the ruling outfit along with a large number of supporters, said the statement.
Chief Minister Sai, state BJP in-charge Om Mathur, state Education Minister Brijmohan Aggarwal, MLA Ajay Chandrakar and other party leaders were present on the occasion.
In his address, the Chief Minister termed the day as historic and said thousands of people from different parties and ex-servicemen have joined the BJP as they are impressed with the saffron party's ideology.
"The BJP will become stronger with induction of these people as they all will contribute in ensuring victory of the Narendra Modi government again by winning more than 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," he said.
"The BJP is a party that believes in the ideology of Antyodaya (upliftment of the last person in the line). As per the vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas' (together with all, development for all, trust of all), work is being done in the country under the leadership of PM Modi. The BJP is the biggest political party not only in the country, but also in the world," Sai said.
After the formation of its government in Chhattisgarh last year, the BJP has been heading towards fulfilling 'Modi's guarantees' (pre-poll promises). The state government has already decided to build houses under the PM Awas Yojana, said the CM.
"Outstanding paddy bonus of two years has been given to farmers. A recommendation has been made to investigate the state public service commission scam (which allegedly took place during the previous Congress government) by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). All schemes (promised by BJP ahead of 2023 polls) will be implemented as soon as possible," he assured.
AAP functionaries Anand Prakash Miri (senior state vice-president), Vishal Kelkar (state secretary), Ravindra Singh Thakur (state president of Youth Wing), Dharam Bhargav (state president of SC wing) and Kamal Kant Sahu (state president of OBC wing), who recently quit the party, were among key leaders who joined the BJP.
Several AAP leaders who had contested last years' assembly polls were also among those who joined the BJP.
The Kejriwal-led outfit suffered a massive defeat in the assembly polls with its all 53 candidates losing elections by huge margins. In 2018, the party had fielded candidates in 85 seats out of total 90 in the state, and all of them had lost their deposits. PTI TKP RSY
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
