Two corporators of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat's Surat city on Friday and one of them was removed from the former's primary membership for anti-party activities.
With the latest development, the AAP's strength in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has come down to 15. The party won 27 seats in the 2021 urban body polls and 12 corporators have now joined the BJP.
Corporators Kanu Gedia and Alpesh Patel joined the BJP at a function, where they were welcomed into the fold with saffron scarfs and caps, less than a week after six AAP corporators had embraced saffron fold.
The AAP in a statement announced the removal of Gedia and corporator Rajesh Moradiya from all party posts and its primary membership.
It alleged that the two corporators were removed for anti-party activities because they were instigating others to join the BJP by promising them money.
AAP leader Gopal Italia also claimed that the two corporators (Gedia and Patel) moved to the BJP after they were offered money.
The BJP, however, rubbished the claim and said Gedia and Patel had joined of their own accord and were not pressurised or offered allurement.
They are attracted by the party's leadership in Gujarat and India, and are influenced by the BJP's ideology of development. They have joined to make the party strong in Surat and Gujarat, a BJP leader said.
The AAP emerged as the opposition party after winning 27 seats in the 120-member Surat Municipal Corporation elections held in February 2021. The BJP won 93 seats, while the Congress failed to open an account.
The 2021 civic poll result was then seen as a boost for the Arvind Kejriwal-led party eyeing the December 2022 Assembly election. While it contested on all 182 seats, the party managed to win only five seats, and none in Surat.
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