New Delhi: Former Delhi minister and AAP functionary Raaj Kumar Anand joined Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday.
Anand told TOI, “I will be filing my nominations tomorrow (Monday) to contest from New Delhi.” He added, “We will work to strengthen BSP to fulfil our dream of a Dalit CM in Delhi in the future... I offer my tributes to BR Ambedkar. Today, I feel like I have joined my own party.”
Anand had resigned from his cabinet and party post, stating that he did not want to be associated with a party “involved in corruption”.
With Anand now in the fray, he will be competing against the daughter of the late Sushma Swaraj, Bansuri, on BJP ticket and AAP functionary Somnath Bharti. Anand, earlier the Dalit face of AAP, is an MLA from Patel Nagar. The 57-year-old had left AAP along with his wife in 2015, only to rejoin later.
Anand was elected as an MLA in 2020. He joined Delhi cabinet on Nov 3, 2022, following the resignation of Seemapuri MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam. He was given charge of seven portfolios, including social welfare, labour, employment, SC/ST welfare and cooperatives.
Anand was accused of making hawala payments and evading customs duty on imports. He also faced a 23-hour raid by Enforcement Directorate in Nov 2023. After his resignation from the party, AAP alleged that BJP was using investigation agencies to threaten AAP functionaries and break the party, which led to his resignation.
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