The BJP's Purvanchali leader and two-time former MLA from Kirari Anil Jha joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of party supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday.The development came a few hours after the AAP suffered a big blow as its Najafgarh MLA and Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot quit the party.

Kejriwal welcomed Jha to the AAP at party headquarters near Mandi House and dubbed him as one of the "biggest" Purvanchali leaders in Delhi politics. He will boost the AAP not only in Kirari but all over the city, the AAP supremo said.

AAP's national convenor also hit out at the opposition (Congress and BJP) accusing both parties of serving injustice to the community.  He further praised the AAP government for bringing development to the "illegal colonies" of the Purvanchal community.   Party sources claimed that Jha could replace the sitting AAP MLA from Kirari, in the Delhi Assembly polls due in February.

The Kirari constituency, home to a large population from the Purvanchal region, has been a challenging area for AAP to penetrate. With Jha’s influence and credibility among Purvanchali voters, AAP hopes to make significant inroads in the upcoming elections. The upcoming elections will be crucial for both AAP and BJP as they vie for control over key constituencies like Kirari. Jha's move may influence voter sentiment and reshape electoral strategies.

Purvanchali voters, once seen as a Congress stronghold, shifted significantly toward the AAP in the 2015 assembly polls, helping 13 AAP leaders from the community win the seats.

Jha praised Kejriwal, saying, "If there is one person who has worked for the Purvanchali community Delhi, it is Arvind Kejriwal." He noted that residents in the region lived with inadequate infrastructure, including unauthorised water pipes and faulty sewer lines. "In 10 years under Arvind Kejriwal, drinking water reached every household," Jha added. Jha, a two-time BJP MLA from the Kirari Assembly constituency in North West Delhi, has joined the AAP, citing disillusionment with the saffron party's leadership and policies.

Kejriwal alleged that while the AAP government built 10,000 km of roads and streets, laid 6800 km of sewer lines and provided piped water in 1,650 unauthorised colonies, "the BJP did nothing".

"I want to ask the BJP and its leader Amit Shah, why should Purvanchali people vote for the party.  I challenge them to tell one thing they did for the Purvanchali people in Delhi. They promised the registry of properties in these colonies but not a single one could be done in five years," he said.

Over the past decade, the Haryanvi-Punjabi dominated politics in Delhi have shifted towards the Purvanchali (eastern) voters, hailing from regions of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

These Purvanchali migrant voters have become a strong force that can change the political discourse in the national capital. BJP, Congress and AAP are trying to woo purvanchali voters ahead of the next year assembly polls.