BJP’s strategy of embracing defecting leaders paid off, securing significant victories in Delhi elections.
New Delhi: Several leaders who switched allegiances to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Delhi Assembly elections secured resounding victories. The BJP placed its trust in multiple turncoat politicians, and out of the six prominent names who joined the party, five emerged victorious, with only Raj Kumar Anand facing defeat in Patel Nagar against a candidate from his former party.
One of the most talked-about names among these leaders was Kailash Gahlot, a former minister who left the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to join the BJP in November 2024. Gahlot, a two-time MLA from the Najafgarh constituency, was given the BJP ticket from Bijwasan, where he faced AAP’s Surendra Bharadwaj. He secured victory with a margin of 11,276 votes, receiving 64,951 votes, while Bharadwaj garnered 53,675.
Following his win, Gahlot expressed his gratitude on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Jai Shri Ram! Bijwasan Assembly, thank you from my heart!! Your immense trust and support have given me the strength to serve you with renewed energy and commitment. This victory is not just mine, but it belongs to every voter who prioritised development and good governance. I salute each BJP worker who tirelessly worked door-to-door to spread the vision of our esteemed Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji for a ‘Developed India’ and a ‘Developed Delhi.’ Your support is my inspiration! Let us move forward with this resolve to build a strong, self-reliant, and developed Delhi. This victory belongs to the people of Bijwasan and the citizens of Delhi.”
Another leader who received the BJP’s confidence was Arvinder Singh Lovely, the former Delhi Congress chief. The BJP fielded Lovely from Gandhi Nagar, replacing sitting MLA Anil Bajpai. Lovely, who had joined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, contested against AAP’s Naveen Chaudhary and emerged victorious with a margin of 12,748 votes. He secured 56,858 votes, while Chaudhary got 44,110. The Congress, yet again, failed to put up a fight, with its candidate Kamal Arora managing only 3,453 votes.
Similarly, Raj Kumar Chauhan, another leader who joined the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections, was given a ticket from Mangolpuri. He contested against AAP’s Rakesh Jatav Dharamrakshak and secured a win, demonstrating strong grassroots support. Chauhan defeated Jatav by 6,255 votes, receiving 62,007 votes, while Jatav managed 55,752 votes.
Former AAP MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar, who switched to the BJP, contested from his old constituency, Chhatarpur, on a BJP ticket. He registered a decisive victory by defeating his former party colleague Brahm Singh Tanwar with a margin of 6,239 votes. Tanwar secured 80,469 votes, while AAP’s candidate received 74,230 votes.
Another turncoat leader, Tarvinder Singh Marwah, a former Congress MLA, also gained the BJP’s trust. The party fielded him from Jangpura, where he was pitted against former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Marwah proved to be a giant-killer, defeating one of the AAP’s top leaders. He won the Jangpura seat by a narrow margin of 675 votes, securing 38,859 votes, while Sisodia received 38,184. His victory demonstrated his strategic importance to the BJP.
However, among all the prominent turncoats, Raj Kumar Anand was the only one who could not make his mark in this election. Anand, who had joined the BJP just months ago, was given a ticket from Patel Nagar to contest against his former party colleague and AAP candidate, Parvesh Ratan. Unfortunately for him, he lost the seat by a margin of 4,049 votes. Ratan emerged victorious with 57,512 votes, while Anand fell short with 53,463.
While most turncoat leaders found success under the BJP banner, Anand’s loss highlighted the challenges faced by defectors in certain constituencies. Nonetheless, the saffron party’s strategy of embracing leaders from rival parties largely paid off in the Delhi Assembly elections.
