Delhi Congress veteran Parlad Singh Sawhney joins AAP ahead of Delhi assembly polls

Parlad Singh Sawhney was elected MLA four times from the Chandni Chowk assembly segment between 1998 and 2013. In 2015, he lost the seat to AAP’s Alka Lamba, who was disqualified from the Delhi Assembly last month.

Senior Delhi Congress leader Prahlad Sawhney joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday at a press conference at the party’s head office in central Delhi, where the Delhi chief minister welcomed the four-time Chandni Chowk MLA into the party fold.

Sawhney was elected MLA four times from the Chandni Chowk assembly segment between 1998 and 2013. In 2015, he lost the seat to AAP’s Alka Lamba, who was disqualified from the Delhi Assembly last month.

“I have no desire for power or an election ticket. I appreciate the development work that AAP has done, especially in the fields of education, health, power and transport,” Sawhney said.

He further said, “You do not need to tell the people of Delhi to vote for AAP. They will tell you on their own that they will vote for the AAP in the upcoming elections. They are very happy that Kejriwal delivered on his promise that electricity bills will be half and water will be free.”

Welcoming Sawhney, Kejriwal, who is also the party’s national convener, said, “There are a lot of good leaders in other parties who are looking forward to joining the AAP. I want to tell them that it is the best time to do so.”

At least five other Congress members, including former office bearers and youth wing leaders, accompanied Sawhney in Sunday’s press conference and joined the AAP in the presence of Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, the party’s newly appointed in-charge for Delhi assembly elections, likely to be slated for early-2020.

Delhi Congress spokesperson Jitender Kochar said, “The Congress is a 125-year-old party which has seen several ups and downs. Many have left, many have joined. Such episodes hardly affect the party.”

The ruling party in Delhi has begun its preparations for the elections this month with a range of programmes, from mobilising booth workers to organising public meetings to woo the city’s Purvanchali community.

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