Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) faced a setback as 12 municipal councillors, most of whom were aligned with AAP, defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday. This mass exodus comes on the heels of two AAP leaders’ — its lone Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar Sushil Rinku and party MLA Sheetal Angural — recent switch to the saffron party, marking a strategic move ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The councillors, known as influential figures in their respective constituencies, made the transition under the leadership of Rinku, who orchestrated the joining. The shift took place overnight, with many of the leaders holding key positions within the AAP ranks. The move underscored a growing trend of political realignments in the region, with parties vying to consolidate their positions ahead of the elections.

Among the notable leaders who joined the BJP are Punjab Khadi Board vice-chairman and former Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Singh Bhatia, two-time councilor Sunita Rinku (wife of MP Rinku), and Manjeet Singh, who commanded influence in Jalandhar’s Basti areas.

Other popular names are Saurabh Seth, Kavita Seth, Vipan Kumar aka Babbi Chadha, Amit Singh Sandha, Radhika Pathak, Karan Pathak, Varesh Mintu, Harvinder Lada, among others. Most of the councilors who joined the BJP are AAP-Congress councilors, who have considerable influence in their areas.

The move dealt a significant blow to the AAP state unit in Jalandhar, as it came amidst a wave of defections from the party to the BJP. The decision of these councilors to switch loyalties underscored the shifting political landscape in Punjab and reflected the BJP’s growing influence in the region.

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar hailed the joining of the councilors as a testament to the party’s growing strength in the state. He emphasized the importance of grassroots leaders in steering the party towards victory in the upcoming elections.

“The grassroot leaders are the building blocks for any political organization as they are the ones who steer the party's win at the ground level. I hope, with their joining, Punjab BJP would be further strengthened in its aim to win all 13 seats under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership of all-round development and growth,” he said.