Surat, India - In a significant setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Surat, two more councilors, Kanu Gedia and Alpesh Patel, defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. This comes just six days after six other AAP councilors made the same move, bringing the total number of defectors to 12.
With these departures, AAP's opposition role in the Municipal Corporation is in jeopardy, as only 15 of the original 27 councilors remain. According to Standing Committee Chairman Paresh Patel, the anti-defection law will not apply in this case, since a minimum of 12 councilors is required for a party to be considered an opposition.
The BJP maintains that it did not actively campaign for the defections, with party leader Amit Rajput asserting that the councilors joined due to their admiration for the BJP's strong leadership in Gujarat and India. Surat City BJP President Niranjan Jhanjmera echoed this sentiment, highlighting the councilors' belief in the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development policies.
The defections have raised concerns about the future of AAP in Surat, as its opposition status hangs in the balance with only 15 councilors remaining.
