Congress leader Surendra Pal Singh Bittu joins AAP
New Delhi, December 6, 2024 (ANI): In a major setback for Congress ahead of the Delhi Assembly election, Surendra Pal Singh Bittu joined Aam Aadmi Party in the presence of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday.
Sisodia welcomed the former two-time MLA from Timarpur Assembly constituency into the party.
"I welcome Surendra Pal Bittu ji, impressed by the work of Aam Aadmi Party, he has decided to join the party, he has been an MLA and councilor twice" Sisodia said.
After joining the party, Bittu hailed AAP, saying that party understands the pain of every person and termed Arvind Kejriwal as a "messiah" of the poor.
He said he joined AAP because he wants to "move forward" with the work of AAP.
"Aam Aadmi Party understands the pain of every person. Arvind Kejriwal is the messiah of the poor. That's why I also want to move forward with the work of AAP," he said.
Bittu joined AAP ahead of the Delhi Election which are expected to be held in early 2025. AAP won 62 out of the 70 seats in the 2020 assembly elections and BJP secured eighth seats.
On Thursday, Delhi Assembly Speaker and Shahdra MLA Ram Niwas Goel announced his retirement from electoral politics in a letter written to Kejriwal.Goel (76) cited his age as the reason for withdrawing from the electoral fray, however, he assured Kejriwal to continue serving the party.
In a letter written to Kejriwal, Goel said, "I humbly want to inform you that for the last 10 years. I have efficiently performed my duties as MLA and Speaker of Shahdara Vidhan Sabha. You have always given me a lot of respect for which I will always be grateful to you. The party and all the MLAs have also given me a lot of respect, for which I express my gratitude to everyone." (ANI)