Shazia Ilmi joins BJP, vows to expose AAP

NEW DELHI

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday received another shot in the arm ahead of crucial Delhi assembly polls with the rival Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) founder leader, Shazia Ilmi, joining the party.

Ilmi’s entry into the party follows former super cop Kiran Bedi joining the BJP on Thursday.

Ilmi had quit AAP in May last year accusing the party of lacking internal democracy. She had vowed to expose AAP late on Thursday.

“There is a new political discourse in the country and we all must be a part of it. I felt this is the right party and I didn’t think twice when I got the offer,” Ilmi said after her formal induction into the BJP.

Earlier in the day, Ilmi called on BJP president Amit Shah at his bungalow where Shah welcomed her into the party. “I had a good meeting with Amit Shah, he welcomed me warmly,” Ilmi said.

Although Ilmi had announced that she would not contest next month’s assembly elections in Delhi and reiterated on Friday that she has not joined BJP to win elections, chances of the BJP fielding her — and using her services extensively during campaigning — is not being ruled out.

Ilmi, a TV journalist-turned-politician unsuccessfully contested two elections as AAP nominee — first from RK Puram assembly constituency and then from the Ghaziabad seat in last year’s general elections.

Ilmi praised the BJP saying the party stands for good governance and development and refused to get into specifics of why she quit AAP.

“There have been many reasons why, AAP and I, parted ways,” she said.

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal refused to dwell on why Ilmi quit AAP, too.

“I remain fond of Shazia. I will always respect her,” Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal, however, opted to take a swipe at Ilmi by re-tweeting Ilmi’s post from 2013.

“Hypocrisy, thy name is BJP,” Ilmi had said then.

Kejriwal’s close associate Ashutosh took a dig at BJP by saying, “My wishes with Shazia, but shows BJP has turned into Arvind’s B team, they can’t fight him alone so taking ppl [people] who’ve worked with him,” Ashutosh said, indirectly reflecting on Bedi joining the BJP.

Though Bedi has worked with Kejriwal when they were together in Anna Hazare’s India Against Corruption, she had refused to join the AAP when Kejriwal launched it — much against Hazare’s wishes.

Despite AAP’s barbs at Kejriwal’s close associates who are now in the BJP, the party is ready to use Bedi as its face during Delhi elections without formally anointing her as its chief ministerial candidate.

The BJP has decided to extend its successful experiment of seeking votes in state elections banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name and popularity.

Bedi’s photograph will appear alongside Modi’s on the BJP’s posters.

The BJP would finalise a specific role of her at its Parliamentary Board meeting slated to take place on January 19 and decide her constituency as well. Incidentally Bedi is the only leader whose candidature has been formally announced by the BJP so far, though the process of filing of nominations states on Wednesday and will end on January 21.

In all probability she will be pitted against Kejriwal from New Delhi assembly seat.

“I am ready to fight Kejriwal directly in his constituency. I don’t care if I lose,” Bedi said on Friday.