At least 1,000 BJP leaders in Himachal Pradesh set to join AAP: Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia

NEW DELHI: Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Thursday claimed that a large number of leaders from the ruling BJP in Himachal would join the AAP soon.

His claims came a day after three BJP leaders in the state, including Scheduled Caste Morcha national executive member Harmen Dhiman, joined the AAP on Wednesday.

“Dhiman ji has joined the party along with 20 other district-level leaders. Now, 1,000 district and block leaders of the BJP are going to join the AAP as their hopes are shattered. They feel that the BJP is not going to do anything for the people of the state,” the deputy chief minister of Delhi said at a press meet.

“Several big leaders of the BJP are also in touch with us. The BJP is completely scattered in the state now,” Sisodia said. 

Stating that the people in Himachal see the AAP as an “alternative”, Sisodia said they lost hope the BJP would do anything on education, health, employment and electricity.

Earlier, the AAP had dissolved its entire Himachal Working Committee after its top functionaries deserted the party and joined BJP.

The Himalayan state is going to witness Assembly polls later this year.

In a big jolt to the AAP, party’s Himachal Pradesh unit president Anup Kesari, general secretary (organisation) Satish Thakur and Una district chief Iqbal Singh had joined the BJP last week.

Adding to the rising list of AAP deserters, its state women wing chief Mamata Thakur and few more leaders embraced BJP on Monday. 

The AAP leadership, however, had claimed that the BJP inducting these leaders showed that the ruling party was “scared of the AAP’s growing influence in the hill state”.

Sisodia had claimed that the party had already decided to show the door to Kesari for his “inappropriate behaviour towards women”