Gandhinagar: Five Councilors of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) today joined ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. AAP had won 27 seats in SMC election less than a year ago in specific areas previously hit by quota agitation. The Councilors of AAP who have joined BJP today include Vipul Movaliya (ward number 16), Ruta Kakadiya (ward number 3), Jyotika Lathiya (ward 8), Bhavna Solanki (ward 2) and Manisha Kukadiya (ward 5).

The Councilors joined BJP in presence of Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, general secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela among others at State BJP headquarters Shri Kamalam. When asked whether more AAP leaders are going to join BJP, Vaghela said, ‘we will meet daily’.

Moments after joining BJP, AAP councilors told their stories to media persons. Councilor Bhavna Solanki alleged that as she is from scheduled caste, she used to be told, ‘we can’t even drink water offered by you’. Another councilor Ruta Kakadiya alleged that she was asked to hold a press conference over her divorce and forced to say that BJP was responsible for that. She said she would go to Police now and seek the help of MoS Home who is like her elder brother to book all those AAP leaders. DeshGujarat