Delhi assembly polls saw leaders switching from one party to another. Moreover, the elections were marked by AAP, BJP and Congress launching diatribes and vitriolic attacks on each other. The polls saw more than 40 candidates reportedly changing sides in the hopes of getting poll tickets and also went on to contest the elections on their new party’s tickets.
The party hoppers also caught the interest of election analysts and observers as they bagged tickets and went to contest polls, hoping to secure their seat in the upcoming Assembly session.
In Rajouri Garden, BJP’s Manjinder Singh Sirsa managed an easy victory over rival Dhanwati Chandela from the AAP by over 18,000 votes. He had switched loyalties from the Akali Dal to the BJP in 2021. Earlier, he had won the Rajouri Garden seat in 2013 and 2017 on an Akali Dal ticket.
In Gandhi Nagar, BJP’s Arvinder Singh Lovely won the Gandhi Nagar Assembly constituency by a margin of over 12,000 votes and defeated his closest AAP rival Naveen Chaudhary. Having served as Congress Delhi chief, he switched over to BJP before the elections.
Tarwinder Singh Marwah was three-term Congress MLA who switched to BJP and also emerged as a giant killer. He defeated former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia by a close margin.
Kailash Gahlot, erstwhile minister in the Kejriwal government was the most notable face from the ruling party to jump ship and join the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections. The former AAP leader contested on a BJP ticket and won.
Apart from him, former AAP minister Raaj Kumar Anand contested on a BJP ticket from Patel Nagar and lost.
South Delhi’s Chhatarpur witnessed a battle between the turncoats as the two party-hoppers locked horns in the constituency.
Three-time BJP MLA Brahm Singh Tanwar contested on an AAP ticket, while sitting AAP MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar had moved to the BJP. The latter won the elections by a margin of over 6,000 votes.
Jitender Singh Shunty was a BJP MLA and also gained prominence for social service during the Covid pandemic. Last year, he crossed over to the AAP and contested as its candidate and lost.
