Delhi: Ahead of civic polls, 5-time veteran Congress councillor joins AAP

Congress’s Mukesh Goel and two-time former councillor Parma Bhai Solanki also joined the AAP in the presence of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday

Mukesh Goel, a five-time municipal councillor and current head of the Congress municipal councillors in the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, joined the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday, months ahead of the civic body polls due to be held in the city early next year.

Former Congress leader Mukesh Goel greets Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as he joins Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday. (ANI)

Two-time former councillor Parma Bhai Solanki also joined the AAP in the presence of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday.

Later in the day, in a separate ceremony, another sitting Congress councillor, Poonam Bagri from Jahangirpuri ward, joined the party in the presence of it’s chief whip Dilip Pandey and Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti.

Sisodia called it a “happy occasion” that the party was expanding.

“Goyal, who is serving his fifth term as a municipal councillor in the national capital, was a member of the All India Congress Committee,” he added.

Goyal called the AAP’s development model in Delhi “commendable”.

“This is why I left the Congress and joined the AAP to work in the interest of the public,” Goyal said. Bagdi argued that lack of accountability in congress was the reason to switch the party. The municipal polls are likely to be held in March-April next year and the pace of defections is likely to increase in coming days. As the five year term of the corporations comes to an end in April 2022, the city will be electing 272 ward representatives in three municipal corporations of Delhi.