In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab ahead of crucial 2022 state assembly elections, its another legislator — Rupinder Kaur Ruby from Bathinda Rural — on Wednesday gave up AAP’s “broom” to hold Congress’ “hand”.

The development came a day after Congress’ senior Hindu leader from Gurdaspur Raman Behl joined AAP. Ruby became the fifth AAP MLA to join the Congress. Before her, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Pirmal Singh Khalsa, Jagdev Singh Kamalu, and Nazar Singh Mansahia have shifted loyalties towards Congress.

Ruby, who gave a late-night jolt to AAP on Tuesday by announcing her resignation from party’s membership on Twitter, was inducted in the Congress party by Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab party affairs in-charge Harish Choudhary, Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, besides Cabinet Ministers Manpreet Singh Badal, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Pargat Singh, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, among others.

“Mr.@ArvindKejriwal ji Convener, AAP & @BhagwantMann ji…This is hereby inform u that I am resigning with immediate effect from the membership of Aam Aadmi Party. Please accept my resignation. Thx Rupinder Kaur Ruby.(MLA Bti.rural)” she tweeted. Ruby, who became the youngest MLA in Punjab at the age of 29 in her very first election hustings in 2017 on an AAP ticket, has been maintaining distance from the active politics and also party events from a while now.

 In fact, she was conspicuous by her absence during the October 29 visit of AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Bathinda. That was not all! Even Ruby’s pictures were missing from AAP posters. Welcoming Ruby into the party fold, Chief Minister Channi said that it was a matter of great pride and honour for them as Ruby has joined the Congress party after having been highly moved by the recent pro-people policies of his government. He lauded Ruby for her “bold step” to denounce her party, which was exploiting the sentiments of common people claiming to be the party of ‘aam adami’.

“The people of Punjab have actually realized now that Congress is the real party connected with the grass roots of the state and is completely sensitized to their problems and issues,” he added.

Expressing happiness for having joined the Congress, Ruby said that the Congress was the party of ‘aam adami’ in true sense contrary to the claim of AAP’s convener Arvind Kejriwal.

She expressed her gratitude to the Congress high command Sonia Gandhi besides Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the entire leadership of Punjab Congress for reposing confidence in her. Pointing out further, Ruby lauded the stupendous performance of the Congress Government under Channi’s visionary leadership during the past 50 days, which are “far better than the 49 days of Kejriwal Government in Delhi”.

Ruby categorically said that she has been highly impressed by the ideology of Congress and thus joined it.Available information suggests that Ruby had been in touch with the Congress leadership for a couple of months and wanted to change her constituency fearing anti-incumbency.

Earlier, the Congress was little hesitant to induct her. But, it is believed that after Bahl joined AAP, the Congress decided to induct her in the party.

With a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in law, Ruby had been teaching law as an Assistant Professor before joining AAP in 2013. She had defeated the SAD candidate from Bathinda Rural by more than 10,000 votes in 2017 polls.

 UNHAPPY WITH HER PERFORMANCE, AAP EXPECTING RUBY’S EXIT

AAP’s Punjab unit was expecting its Bathinda Rural MLA’s exit. Senior AAP MLA and Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday claimed that Ruby was not going to get the AAP ticket and, therefore, joined the Congress.

“Rupinder Ruby is our younger sister, be happy wherever you go. This time, she had no chance of getting a ticket from the AAP so she is joining the Congress. The Congress is requested not to cheat Ruby and should give her the ticket from Bathinda Rural,” Cheema said in a tweet.

Hitting back at Cheema, Ruby accused him of not raising his voice for the party leaders or the people of Punjab. “When it was time for you to speak, you did not say anything. You neither raised your voice for the people of Punjab nor for Bhagwant Mann. As for the ticket, you can contest against me,” she tweeted, throwing a challenge to the legislature party chief.

Notably, Ruby had gone on record to say that AAP should announce state unit president and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann’s name as the Chief Ministerial candidate at

the earliest, or else it would be making the same mistake as it made in the run up to the 2017 polls. It has been learnt that AAP central leadership was not happy with Ruby’s performance in her constituency. In fact, AAP’s internal survey has pointed that party’s popularity has declined to great extent in her constituency due to her continuous absence. Sources maintained that Ruby was most likely not to get the ticket again.

AAP’s DWINDLING NUMBER IN HOUSE

AAP had 20 MLAs in the 117 member House after the 2017 polls— emerging as the second-largest party after the ruling Congress. However, the number continued to fall over all these years. Only recently, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh accepted Sukhpal Singh Khaira’s resignation and disqualified Master Baldev Singh Jaito, bringing AAP’s strength in the House down to 17.

Already, AAP’s Dakha MLA HS Phoolka, the former Leader of Opposition, had resigned in 2019 which was also accepted by the Speaker.

Out of the remaining 17 members, AAP’s three MLAs — Pirmal Singh, Nazar Singh Mansahia, and Jagdev Singh Kamalu — have already shifted their loyalties towards the Congress, and have submitted their resignations also. It’s another MLA and former journalist Kanwar Sandhu continues to be a rebel.

With Ruby’s resignation from the party, the effective number of AAP MLAs has come down to 13. However, four of rebels have not resigned as MLAs and continue to sit in the House on AAP benches.