Former Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Tuesday officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva.
Addressing the media, Maliwal said she had not joined the party under any pressure, but was inspired by the BJP’s work over the years. Recalling her tenure as chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, she said she had worked in a neutral manner and received support from the BJP during that period. She called the day an emotional and significant milestone in her political journey and said she would now work wholeheartedly for Delhi.
Maliwal also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its convenor Arvind Kejriwal, accusing the party of mismanagement and corruption over the past decade. She highlighted issues such as poor road conditions and water supply in the capital, while also noting improvements under the BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta since 2025.
She further said that while some development work had begun, more needed to be done and all stakeholders should work together to improve Delhi.
Maliwal was among seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs who reportedly merged with the BJP on April 24. The others include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Harbhajan Singh, and Rajinder Gupta. (Agency)
