SHIMLA: Aam Aadmi Party has dissolved Himachal Pradesh’s AAP's state working committee after the seven of its key office bearers deserted the party and joined BJP giving a body blow to the fledgling state unit ahead of the state assembly elections.
The defection of the seven officer bearers of state AAP unit to BJP has come hot on the heels of Arvind Kejriwal- Bhagwant Mann's big road show in Mandi, the home district of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. BJP has avenged its similar humiliation from AAP as its former councilor Gaurav Sharma from Shimla, now AAP spokesperson and his associates had left the BJP and joined AAP last month.
As elections to the Shimla municipal corporation are due in next two months, BJP had got negative publicity in the capital city. AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's big hoardings have appeared in key locations and AAP has launched membership drive to increase its foot prints in the capital city to contest all the 41 wards.
As many as five AAP office bearers today deserted the party and joined BJP in New Delhi in the presence of Union Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Singh Thakur and union minister Meenakshi Lekhi and other BJP leaders.
These five AAP office bearers included, state President of Mahila Morcha, Mamta Thakur, State vice-president, Sonia Bindal, state vice president, Sangeeta, state president of Industries Wing, DK Tyagi, state vice president Social Media, Ashish Kumar, informed the BJP.
BJP put the whole show of AAP leaders joining BJP live and prominently on social and other media to show AAP in poor light after mass defection ahead of the coming assembly elections this year. BJP fears that the AAP wave and formation of AAP government in neighbouring state of Punjab can impact elections in Himachal where the AAP has already declared that it would contest polls on all 68 seats in the coming assembly elections.
During the membership ceremony, apart from Anurag Singh Thakur, Meenakshi Lekhi, Party General Secretary Arun Singh and National co-media in-charge Sanjay Mayukh were also present.
interestingly, former AAP Himachal Pradesh president Anoop Kesari, who had left the Aam Aadmi Party and joined BJP, Organization general secretary Satish Thakur were also present to make the message louder and clear for the AAP.
While AAP and BJP are engaged in fierce fight and drama of joining and defection, but state Congress appears to be in a state of delirium and political isolation. The party leaders reman embroiled in their game of one-upmanship over the leadership issue despite many of its young small time leaders from Mandi and Shimla have joined AAP.
Meanwhile, AAP leader Satyendra Jain, who is also incharge of the state unit and organiser of the Mandi road show declared on social media that the Himachal Pradesh AAP working committee has been dissolved and the new committee will be appointed soon.
AAP Spokesperson Gaurav Sharma claimed BJP was getting the shock as it fears increasing popularity of the AAP in Shimla and state as a whole by staging these show. BJP president is now moving house to house of BJP workers putting party nameplates in their houses as he fears they might leave the party and join AAP, he claimed.
