Ashok Mittal quit AAP after 1 year of hosting Kejriwal
What's the story
Arvind Kejriwal's former colleague Ashok Mittal has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Mittal had earlier hosted Kejriwal and his family at his official residence in Delhi after the former Chief Minister resigned in 2024. The resignation came hours after Kejriwal moved into a new government bungalow in Lodhi Estate, allotted by the Centre as he heads a national party.
Leadership shift
Mittal's resignation came after Chadha was replaced
Mittal's resignation came after Kejriwal replaced Raghav Chadha with Mittal as the deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. This move was seen as an attempt to silence him, sources told NDTV. The anti-defection law would have disqualified Chadha from the Rajya Sabha if he had resigned alone, unless two-thirds of his party legislators agreed to merge with another party.
Departures and promises
Swati Maliwal also left AAP for BJP
Swati Maliwal, another AAP leader who left the party, had a strained relationship with it after accusing Kejriwal's aide of assault. In a last-ditch effort to retain his MPs, Kejriwal promised them tickets for the next term if they resigned now due to dissatisfaction. He invited them for a meeting at his house on Friday evening, but they announced their departures hours earlier.