(Image source from: Aninews.in)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal assured that he would offer positions to at least five out of six leaders in the upcoming term, if they choose to leave now due to dissatisfaction with the party, according to sources familiar with the situation. Kejriwal invited them to his home on Friday evening to talk about this issue, sources mentioned. However, the discussion did not take place because the MPs declared their departure on Friday.

This information comes at a time when AAP faced a setback after seven of its MPs, including Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, and Sandeep Pathak, decided to leave the party, with Chadha claiming they had joined the BJP. He stated that AAP had deviated from its core beliefs and values. The other four MPs who left AAP are Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahni, and Swati Maliwal. Sources indicate that the former chief minister of Delhi told the MPs that if they were uncertain about their positions, they should step down, assuring them that they would receive tickets in the next term.

Nevertheless, Kejriwal was unaware that the MPs had already decided to quit AAP and switch to BJP as early as Thursday morning. Before Kejriwal's invitation for a meeting, the MPs had not coordinated as a group to plan their departure, even though individually, each had resolved to leave, sources reported. The initial push from Chadha for a united front occurred after AAP replaced him with Ashok Kumar Mittal as the Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha. Following this incident, Chadha reached out to discuss matters with the MPs, sources said. However, Mittal also chose to leave AAP. Interestingly, Kejriwal moved into his new house on Friday after spending a year at Mittal’s residence. The BJP warmly welcomed the MPs as party president Nitin Nabin presented them with traditional sweets.

Leaders from AAP accused the BJP of executing "Operation Lotus" to lure away MPs and apparently conspiring to undermine the AAP government's successful work in Punjab. Chadha informed the media that the seven MPs had merged with the BJP because the AAP had stopped following its founding principles. "The AAP that I worked hard to build and dedicated 15 years of my youth to has completely lost its way in terms of principles, values, and integrity," he remarked. "According to the Constitution, two-thirds of a party's MPs can combine with another party," Chadha stated, referring to AAP's total of 10 MPs. "They have already signed the agreement, and this morning we submitted all the necessary documentation, including signed letters and formal paperwork, to the Rajya Sabha chairman," Chadha mentioned. AAP now experiences one of its most significant challenges 14 years after its establishment as a protest against corruption.