Senior AAP Leader Makes Shock Switch to BJP
In a significant political development just one day before the crucial MCD bypoll, senior Aam Aadmi Party functionary and two-time MLA Rajesh Gupta dramatically joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday. The defection marks another high-profile exit from AAP and represents a major boost for BJP's Delhi unit ahead of the municipal elections.
Accusations and Emotional Outburst
Gupta formally joined the BJP in a ceremony held at the party's city headquarters, where he was received by Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, Adarsh Nagar MLA Rajkumar Bhatia, and party spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor. The event turned emotional as Gupta broke down while addressing media personnel.
The former AAP vice-president launched a scathing attack on his former party, specifically targeting AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal. He accused the Delhi Chief Minister of systematically sidelining dedicated party workers and fostering what he described as a culture of use and throw within the organization.
I have joined the long list of functionaries like Kailash Gahlot, Kumar Vishwas, Kapil Mishra who have left AAP, Gupta stated during the press conference. He suggested that many other AAP members might be considering similar moves and encouraged them to join a party that can really do something for the country.
AAP's Strong Rebuttal
Delhi AAP convener Saurabh Bharadwaj swiftly refuted Gupta's allegations, presenting a completely different narrative behind the defection. According to Bharadwaj, the real reason behind Gupta's exit was his unmet demand for a councillor ticket for his wife following his own defeat in the February 2025 assembly elections.
Bharadwaj explained that after Gupta lost the Wazirpur assembly seat to BJP's Poonam Sharma, he sought a party ticket for his wife in the municipal polls. The party, with a heavy heart, had decided that we were unable to give him the ticket, Bharadwaj claimed.
The AAP leader detailed how Gupta had reacted to this rejection by fielding an independent candidate in Ashok Vihar ward and allegedly sharing internal party matters with another organization. When that, too, did not work, he eventually joined BJP, Bharadwaj stated, while extending best wishes to his former colleague.
Political Background and Context
Rajesh Gupta was no ordinary party member. He served as the vice-president of Delhi AAP and held the crucial responsibility of being the in-charge of the party's Karnataka unit. His political credentials include being elected as MLA from Wazirpur assembly seat twice in 2015 and 2020, before his defeat in the recent February 2025 polls.
During his press conference, Gupta raised concerns about AAP's candidate selection for the Ashok Vihar ward, claiming the party had given the ticket to a worker who had been issued a show cause notice for misbehaving with people during a government function. This incident allegedly occurred while Kejriwal was in jail and senior opposition members were protesting at Jantar Mantar.
In response, AAP defended its candidate selection, stating it had fielded only grassroots karyakartas across 12 wards for the November 30 MCD bypoll to ignite fresh energy across the organization.
Gupta emotionally described his decision to leave AAP as difficult but necessary, claiming that watching the dream of Anna Andolan die every day left him sleepless. He asserted that AAP does not value people who make all the sacrifices for them.
BJP's Delhi unit president Virendra Sachdeva welcomed Gupta, praising him as a responsible MLA who had earned respect, while criticizing the AAP leadership for failing to value his contributions. Sachdeva also took a swipe at Kejriwal, claiming that while the AAP leader calls himself Delhi's son, he is missing when the city needs him.
The timing of this defection, just before the MCD bypoll, adds significant political drama to an already charged electoral atmosphere in the national capital.
