New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of covertly engineering defections in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to prop up the newly formed Indraprastha Vikas Party (IVP). The allegations come after the BJP expelled its own councillor, Suman “Tinku” Rajora, for reportedly refusing to support IVP’s candidate in the recent zonal elections.
AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed the expulsion order, issued under Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva’s direction, exposes BJP’s alleged role in creating IVP as a front to avoid direct accountability for defections under what AAP calls “Operation Lotus.”
“The IVP failed to win any zonal seats, proving BJP’s plan has backfired,” Bharadwaj stated in a social media post. He further drew parallels to former Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand, who joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) after an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid and later contested—and lost—as a BJP candidate in the Assembly elections.
The BJP has yet to officially respond to the allegations. Political analysts suggest the developments highlight growing tensions between the two parties ahead of upcoming civic polls, with AAP framing the episode as evidence of BJP’s “conspiracies,” while the BJP’s stance remains undisclosed.
The controversy raises questions about political defections and proxy strategies in Delhi’s municipal governance, with further reactions awaited from key stakeholders.
