Ahead of Delhi Assembly elections, the BJP on Tuesday received a substantial gain as Arvinder Singh lovely, son of former Union Home Minister and senior one-time Congress leader Buta Singh, joined the party. Apart from lovely, a number of other leaders from the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also joined the saffron party during the day.
lovely, who shares same name as Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief Arvinder Singh lovely, had won Assembly elections from Deoli constituency in 2008. Sources said that he was upset as Congress had decided not to give him ticket for upcoming Assembly polls. He was defeated by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Prakash in 2013 Assembly elections.
The BJP claimed that lovely’s inclusion will help it increase the support of Dalit voters, and the AAP which is said to have a stronghold within the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, can be given a tough fight in the forthcoming Assembly polls.
“I was very disappointed as my father was denied a ticket by the Congress in the general elections following which he had to contest elections independently from Rajasthan. So, I have today joined the BJP. I will assist the party to win the upcoming Assembly elections,” said lovely.
He is hoping to translate his father’s image as a veteran SC leader into votes. Sources in the BJP said that the party will field lovely from Deoli as it does not have a prominent face from that seat. lovely’s father Buta Singh, who served as the Union Agriculture Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi Cabinet at the Centre between 1984 and 1986, was elected to the lok Sabha eight times between 1962 and 2004. He was the Home Minister between 1986 and 1989.
According to the BJP, lovely has worked within the SC community and with this, he will strengthen the party. “I was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under whose leadership country is progressing well,” lovely said.
Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said, “With the joining of lovely, it will definitely strengthen the party in the forthcoming polls. We are very confident that BJP will form a government with full majority.”
Besides, two AAP leaders Sandeep Dubey, an advocate and engineer Chandrakant Tyagi also joined the saffron party. Apart from that, BJP claimed that Rashtriya lok Dal’s councillor Anita Tyagi (Chhatarpur), former Congress councillor Deepak Choudhary, DPCC’s secretary Shashikant Dikshit, Congress leader Gopal Pahariya were among the leaders who joined the BJP.
Attacking Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Sandeep Dubey said that the voice of common man is not heard in AAP, which is why he has joined the BJP.