New Delhi, Dec 21: In a significant political development, former MLA and long-time Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Sukhbir Dalal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday.

The move was announced in the presence of Union Minister Harsh Malhotra, BJP state president Virendra Sachdeva, and other senior leaders at a press conference at the Delhi BJP headquarters.

Joining Dalal was Balbir Singh, an executive member of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee from Vivek Vihar.

Dalal, who represented Mundka as an AAP MLA, clarified that his decision to switch allegiance was not due to being denied a ticket but stemmed from his confidence in the BJP’s policies.

“Ever since Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Sheesh Mahal’ was built, corruption within AAP crossed all limits,” Dalal remarked.

He accused the AAP government of prioritising corruption over development and ignoring the needs of rural areas in Delhi.

Dalal also credited the BJP for supporting his efforts to execute developmental projects in rural Delhi.

Expressing his gratitude after joining the party, he pledged his commitment to contributing to the nation’s progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

This follows a series of switches by the AAP leaders to the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections.

Recently, Delhi Ministers Kailash Gahlot and Harsharan Singh Balli joined the BJP. Along with this, many others also switched to the BJP ahead of polls.

Balbir Singh, too, cited his admiration for PM Modi’s policies as a motivating factor. “The Prime Minister has worked extensively for the Sikh community, which inspired me to join the BJP,” he said.

Singh highlighted his electoral success as a member of the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee and noted that his appeal transcended religious boundaries.

He further praised the BJP and the Delhi Lieutenant Governor for their recent contributions to the Sikh community. Singh contrasted this with the lack of action by other parties, stating, “Everyone talks about 1984, but they never provided jobs or opportunities. The BJP has offered both support and work.”

With the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 2025, the AAP faces increasing challenges as it aims for a third consecutive term. In the 2020 elections, the party won an overwhelming majority, securing 62 out of 70 seats.

This political realignment adds to the mounting pressures on AAP as it prepares to defend its stronghold in the upcoming elections.

New Delhi/Mumbai, Dec 21: Shiv Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut has dismissed wild speculation that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies would contest the upcoming civic elections in the state independently, on Saturday.

“We are keen to bring back the SS (UBT) to power in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to save Mumbai and prevent it from being separated from Maharashtra. Witness how these attacks have started against our (Marathi) people,” said Raut, referring to the ‘Marathi versus Migrant’ tensions.

He claimed that if the SS (UBT) fails to bag the BMC polls – among 14 other major civic bodies in the state – then the state will forfeit Mumbai, referring to hypotheses in some quarters that the country’s commercial capital may be declared a Union Territory (UT) coming under Centre’s control.

“I am not saying that we will contest the civic polls independently. It’s the feeling among our party activists. We are discussing it with them. Whether we fight the civic elections jointly or solo, it does not imply the MVA has broken up,” Raut declared.

In a guarded reaction, Congress state President Nana Patole remarked that his party would take the views of its local units before taking any decision on going solo or unitedly as MVA for the local bodies polls.

The SS(UBT) MP explained that whenever the civic elections are conducted there are rumours of political alliances snapping, it had happened when the party was allied with BJP and is speculated now, “but there’s nothing significant about it”.

“We had millions of votes cast in our favour, but they didn’t go to the intended candidate. That’s why there are several demands for a vote count, and the people of Markadwadi (Solapur) wanted to hold a mock ballot paper polling,” contended Raut.

Taking a jibe at the Mahayuti government, Raut said that “they are thanking the 14 crore people”, but forgot that all those 14 crore did not vote for them so now persons like Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde must ponder on all this.

Jaipur, Dec 21: The toll in the horrific accident and fire in Jaipur rose to 14 by Saturday as more people succumbed to their burn injuries.

The tragic accident on Friday morning at the Ajmer Highway in Jaipur claimed the lives of eight people immediately and left over 35 injured, when an LPG gas tanker collided with a truck. The death toll continued to rise through the day after that.

The collision triggered a massive explosion and fire, engulfing the area in flames, leaving over 35 people injured.

The toll is expected to go up further due to the horrific nature of the burns.

The accident took place when the LPG tanker, traveling from Ajmer toward Jaipur, was making a U-turn back toward Ajmer and collided with a truck coming from Jaipur.

The impact caused the gas to leak, spreading over a 200-metre radius before igniting into a massive fireball.

The explosion led to catastrophic destruction, with more than 40 vehicles catching fire after that.

Many victims were unable to escape, including the workers at a pipe factory nearby.

A sleeper bus carrying 34 passengers also caught fire and out of the 34 passengers, 20 suffered severe burns, while 14 others, including the driver and conductor, remain missing.

The fire caused by the explosion produced towering flames that burned numerous birds in the vicinity.

Several vehicles on the highway, including the bus and a truck, were engulfed in the blaze. The intense heat caused a bike rider’s helmet to melt and stick to his face, severely burning his eyes.

Eight people were burned alive, and 35 others sustained burns.

Even hours after the incident, people in the area reported experiencing suffocation and irritation in their eyes due to the lingering effects of the fire.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the horrific accident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.