Former Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, who recently resigned from his position opposing the party’s alliance with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. The move signals a significant shift in Delhi’s political landscape as Lovely, along with other former Congress leaders, made their entry into the BJP fold.
The induction ceremony, held at the BJP headquarters in the national capital, saw Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, and national general secretary Vinod Tawde welcoming Lovely and others into the party. Besides Lovely, former Congress MLAs Raj Kumar Chauhan, Naseeb Singh, Neeraj Basoya, and former Youth Congress President Amit Malik also joined the BJP ranks.
This isn’t Lovely’s first stint with the BJP; he had previously switched to the party in 2017 before returning to Congress in 2018. Now, with his return to the BJP, Lovely expressed confidence in the party’s electoral prospects, particularly in Delhi. He emphasized his belief in the BJP’s ability to secure victory on all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
Addressing the media, Lovely articulated his optimism about the BJP forming a strong government with a decisive mandate, stating, “We have been given an opportunity to fight for the people of Delhi under the banner of BJP and under the leadership of the Prime Minister.” He added, “In the coming days, the flag of the BJP will fly in Delhi too.”
Lovely’s resignation from Congress was marked by his discontent with the party’s decision-making process, citing grievances over candidate selection and the alliance with AAP. In his resignation letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lovely criticized the selection of candidates like Kanhaiya Kumar and Udit Raj for Delhi constituencies and expressed frustration with party interference.
Similarly, Naseeb Singh and Neeraj Basoya, in their resignation letters, denounced the Congress’s alliance with AAP. The seat-sharing agreement between AAP and Congress allocates four seats to AAP and three to Congress in Delhi, with Lok Sabha elections for the seven seats scheduled for May 25.
Lovely’s move to BJP drew pointed remarks from party leader Vinod Tawde, who took a jab at Rahul Gandhi’s candidacy from the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat, suggesting a trend of dynastic politics within the Congress party. “Raebareli had posters of Priyanka Gandhi… PM Modi’s slogan is ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’. But Congress’ slogan is ‘Beta Bachao, Beta Badhao’,” Tawde remarked.
Arvinder Singh Lovely’s entry into the BJP, along with other Congress leaders, not only reshapes Delhi’s political dynamics but also reflects the ongoing narrative of party politics and alliances in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
