Opportunism is at its peak in capital ahead of Delhi polls

Delhi's political doors are revolving fast and furious. Ahead of the Assembly polls, political opportunists are going for the kill, moving in and out of the parties. Eyeing Capital gains, these politicians are joining the 'turncoat' bandwagon overnight. And with that the parties are hoping that the 'ayarams gayarams' will help them to win the battle for Delhi.

It now seems that Rambir Shokeen, who was the independent member of the now-dissolved Delhi Assembly, is cruising towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Everyone has lost faith in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Nobody wants to go there anymore. Now there is a very strong possibility that Rambir Shokeen, who has been an independent MLA, will join the BJP next week. We will make a formal announcement once everything has been finalised," a senior BJP leader told MAIL TODAY.

Shokeen's reported move comes close on the heels of former Delhi Assembly speaker M.S Dhir joining BJP, leaving the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday. Dhir was unhappy after AAP decided to not allot him a ticket for the next Assembly elections. After joining BJP, Dhir minced no words as he slammed Kejriwal. "Arvind Kejriwal will run away again, if he is elected. By serving the country as a member of the BJP I will be doing justice because Narendra Modi's vision for the country and this city is what the people need," Dhir said.

Just recently, Matia Mahal stalwart Shoaib Iqbal shifted base from the Janata Dal (United) to the Congress party, putting all speculation to rest. Observers say that both Iqbal and Dhir's moves and Shokeen's reported manoeuvres are clear indications of what may lie ahead.

Harish Khanna

Things are also not well between AAP leader Harish Khanna and the Kejriwal-led party. Khanna, who won from the Timarpur Assembly seat on an AAP ticket against BJP, said sources, may opt for the saffron party.

Even though Khanna continues to deny such a possibility, analysts told MAIL TODAY that Khanna's decision not to contest in the Assembly elections is his tacit way of extending support to the BJP.

Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi, who lost the RK Puram seat by a whisker of 355 votes last year, has been in close proximity with Delhi BJP leaders. While she has been claiming that "it's all about extending support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat campaign without any political connotation", political pundits say that it won't come as a surprise if she ultimately wears the BJP cap.

Ilmi, whose equation with AAP and Kejriwal soured over a period of time till she quit the outfit, had earlier indicated that political parties have been in touch with her.

"I do not want to be used as a pawn by any political party. Both BJP and Congress are in touch with me. I will take a decision very soon. But the kind of frenzied support that Kejriwal enjoyed has now subsided. He has very unclear vision for the city and has put off the middle class," Ilmi had told MAIL TODAY.

Former AAP MLA Vinod Kumar Binny too is being keenly watched. After his expulsion from AAP, Binny was seen cosying up to BJP leaders.

While the BJP leaders said that they would welcome Binny in case he joins the party, the man in question has not joined BJP as yet. But he has said that he would contest in the upcoming Assembly elections against Arvind Kejriwal in the New Delhi seat. And that, analysts say, would put AAP in back foot. In the season of political turncoats that could well be advantageous for BJP, they added.

As the BJP clearly appears to gain an edge in this exit-entry game, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal is furious. Kejriwal has been red-flagging, what he says, BJP's attempts to "buy" AAP MLAs.

POACHING

On its part the BJP has rubbished the allegation in unequivocal terms. "We have never believed in poaching any party's MLAs like AAP has been alleging. Our doors are open to anyone who wants to join and we do not believe in any foul play," Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said.

With Shoaib Iqbal's entry into the Congress, the Grand Old Party is hoping that it will gain strength within the Muslim community. Talking to MAIL TODAY, Iqbal said, "I have always been vocal about my dislike for BJP's ideology. The people of Muslim community feel marginalised and that is not something we want to see. The Congress party holds promise because they have been in power for 15 years in Delhi and they know how to feel the pulse of the people."

POLL PULAO

With all these politicians strutting across the political spectrum, it now remains to be seen which party gains the most and which party loses out. But in any case, the 'poll pulao' in Delhi is getting spicier with each passing day.