AAP Councillor Joins BJP: Moments before the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) House was set to reconvene to elect six members of the Standing Committee on Friday, AAP councillor Pawan Sehrawat joined the BJP alleging that he felt “suffocated” due to “corruption” in the party led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The AAP councillor from Bawana further alleged that he was distressed as AAP councillors were instructed to create a ruckus in the MCD House.
BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva and general secretary Harsh Malhotra welcomed him to the saffron party fold at the party’s Delhi unit office, in the presence of several other Delhi BJP leaders.
In a tweet, Sachdeva said, “Impressed by the development works of the Modi government and troubled by the hooliganism, corruption and oppressive policies of the Kejriwal government, Aam Aadmi Party councillor from Bawana Ward-30 Pawan Sehrawat joined the BJP. Hearty welcome to the BJP family.”
Two days since the election to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor of the MCD House, it has been adjourned 15 times on Wednesday and Thursday, and reconvened at 10 AM today for Standing Committee elections.
The MCD polls began on Wednesday and AAP’s Shelly Oberoi and Aaley Mohammed Iqbal were elected as the mayor and deputy mayor of the MCD House respectively. Following the elections, the MCD house descended into a complete pandemonium as AAP and BJP councillors created a ruckus in the House.
Video from the chamber of the House showed women councillors exchanging blows, throwing water bottles, fruit and ballot boxes at each other, forcing multiple adjournments.
Both parties have accused each other of not following due procedure in the last of the three internal polls to the civic body on Wednesday. At the core of the tussle, the BJP alleged that those having voting rights for elections to the standing committee members were allowed to carry mobile phones and pens in the polling chamber, while that was not allowed during the elections to the post of mayor and deputy. However, newly-elected mayor Oberoi said that all were “respected councillors” and could keep their mobile phones with them.
Meanwhile, after Wednesday’s mayhem, Oberoi said that action would be taken against BJP’s Rekha Sharma, who allegedly broke the podium and microphone and Amit Nagpal who she claimed threw a ballot box.