BJP leader and former two-time Delhi councillor B B Tyagi joins AAP, says ‘impressed’ with its work

Reacting to B B Tyagi’s exit, a senior BJP leader said: “He is popular in Laxmi Nagar and Shakarpur. He has been trying to get a ticket from the constituency but was unsuccessful.."

Tyagi (extreme left) joined the AAP on Monday in the presence of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. (Photo: X)

Ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls scheduled in February, senior BJP leader B B Tyagi joined the AAP. This comes a week after three-time MLA from the BJP, Brahm Singh Tanwar, joined the party.

Tyagi, a former two-time councillor from Laxmi Nagar, joined the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP on Monday in the presence of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Highlighting the AAP government’s initiatives such as free electricity and free travel for women, Tyagi said he was impressed by the ruling party’s record in public welfare. “I was working in the BJP for a long time, but I was very impressed with the work that AAP was doing to uplift the people and the facilities it was providing to them… If I can do good for even a few people, then my joining the party will be successful,” he said.

Tyagi and Tanwar’s induction follows the exit of former Laxmi Nagar MLA Nitin Tyagi and Chattarpur MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar from the AAP, who joined the BJP. Sources in the AAP hope this will give them an edge in the East Delhi Lok Sabha, considered a BJP stronghold.

In 2020, out of the eight Assembly seats that the BJP won, three are in the East Delhi constituency. Even though AAP won seven out of the 10 Assembly segments that year, the winning margins were low — Sisodia, the MLA from Patparganj, won the Assembly polls with a margin of just over 3,000 votes; Krishna Nagar MLA S K Bagga won by 3,995 votes; and Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel won Shahdara by 5,294 votes.

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“Both Brahm Singh Tanwar and BB Tyagi have been ground leaders and represent Gurjar and Purvanchal communities. Their induction will help AAP in the upcoming polls, especially where the vote margins were low in the last term,” said an AAP leader.

Reacting to B B Tyagi’s exit, a senior BJP leader said: “He is popular in Laxmi Nagar and Shakarpur. He has been trying to get a ticket from the constituency but was unsuccessful… This may be one of the reasons why he joined AAP. The AAP also needs a strong leader after their former MLA Nitin Tyagi’s exit as this seat is a BJP stronghold.”

While welcoming B B Tyagi, Sisodia said the people of Delhi are witnessing two types of politics: one focused on work and the other on obstructing progress. “… People feel the purpose of politics should be to work for the people. What do they want from their government and leaders? Good schools and hospitals, cheap electricity and low bus fares… Kejriwal is getting all this one…,” he said.

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AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said, “In the past few days, individuals who consistently advocated for Delhi and its issues have joined our family. Recently, Brahm Singh Tanwar became part of AAP, and now B B Tyagi, a widely respected figure, especially in East Delhi, is also joining us.”

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