Ex-AAP minister disqualified from assembly weeks after joining BSP

The Delhi Assembly on Friday disqualified former Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Patel Nagar Raaj Kumar Anand from the assembly. The development came over five weeks after Anand joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and contested the Lok Sabha elections on a BSP ticket.

Delhi Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel, who ordered the disqualification, said the former AAP MLA was given three opportunities for a hearing but he did not respond to the notice issued to him on May 31 asking him to file a reply by June 10.

Anand also did not turn up to participate in the two personal hearings granted to him on June 11 and 14. The anti-defection laws apply to him because he joined BSP without resigning as an AAP MLA.

“As he failed to reply to the notice, and also failed to appear for two personal hearings, he was disqualified on June 14 under anti-defection laws. An order disqualifying Anand as AAP MLA from Patel Nagar assembly constituency has been issued by the Delhi assembly today,” said Goel.

HT reached out to Anand, who did not respond to queries seeking comments.

With his disqualification, the strength of the AAP has reduced to 61 in the 70-member Delhi assembly, where it will continue to be a majority.

The BJP has eight MLAs in the assembly. Out of the eight, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri from the Badarpur assembly, got elected to the Lok Sabha from the South Delhi parliamentary constituency in the recently concluded general elections. Bidhuri is likely to resign from the House in a couple of days, which will then leave the BJP with seven MLAs.

During the Lok Sabha elections, Anand rebelled against the AAP and resigned as minister on April 10 but did not resign from his membership of the Delhi assembly. He joined the BSP on May 5 and filed his nomination as BSP candidate from New Delhi Lok Sabha seat a day later.

Under the 10th schedule of the Constitution, “the anti-defection law deals with situations of defection in Parliament or state legislatures by members of a political party... when a member of a political party leaves and joins hands with other parties. A member could be disqualified if he or she voluntarily gives up the membership of a political party or joins any other political party after the election.” Under these laws, AAP chief whip in the Delhi assembly, Dilip Kumar Pandey, submitted a petition in the assembly seeking Anand’s disqualification.