Former AAP Leader Swati Maliwal Joins Bharatiya Janata Party

Former Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Tuesday formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva.

Speaking to reporters, Maliwal said that she has not taken the step because of any compulsion but was inspired by the works of the party. While recalling her experience of working as chief of Delhi Commission for Women, she praised the support she received from the BJP.

"I did not join the BJP out of any compulsion. I have been interested in the work of the BJP for many years, and I would like to say that when I was working in the Delhi Commission for Women, I worked in a completely neutral manner. I also received a lot of support from the BJP side, so today I am very emotional. This is a very important and significant day for me. I am very grateful to God, I am very grateful to the entire BJP leadership, and I will now work wholeheartedly for Delhi," she told reporters.

Maliwal further slammed AAP and party convenor Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of spreading mismanagement and corruption in the past 10 years. She also acknowledged the developmental work in the national capital under the leadership of CM Rekha Gupta following the formation of the BJP government in 2025.

"For the past 10 years, we have seen how the Aam Aadmi Party government under Arvind Kejriwal ji caused a lot of mismanagement and corruption. The condition of roads was very poor, the water system was very bad, and the people of Delhi were struggling for basic facilities. In the past two years, Rekha Gupta ji's government has tried to do a lot of work, though there is still more to be done, and everyone will work together to achieve this," said Maliwal.

Maliwal was among the seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs who merged with the BJP on April 24. The others included Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Harbhajan Singh, and Rajinder Gupta.