After the resignation of former Rajya Sabha MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Bharatiya Janata Party is in for another jolt as wife of suspended BJP MP Kirti Azad and three-time party national executive member, Poonam Azad, is likely to quit the party too.
Sources in the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party said she is likely to join the AAP. Confirming the news about Ms. Azad, who is a known Poorvanchali face and BJP’s Delhi spokesperson, sources close to her said that Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and other senior party leaders were in touch with her.
With the AAP set to contest both the Punjab elections and the Delhi municipal polls, the party will benefit as substantial number of Poorvanchalis reside in Punjab and over 40 lakh live in Delhi. However, Ms. Azad’s alleged decision to resign is due to the fact that she felt marginalised within the BJP.
“The BJP didn’t treat her well. She was promised chairmanship of the New Delhi Municipal Council, which didn’t happen. Then, she was promised a position on the Censor Board panel, but her name was not considered,” said a aide close to Ms. Azad.
The recent suspension of her husband, who had launched a bitter attack on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over alleged corruption in the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) during his tenure as its head, was the final blow.
Soon after the news of her alleged decision to resign reached the BJP brass, sources said senior BJP leaders were having meetings with her.
