After being rejected by Delhi voters in this month's municipal elections, the Aam Aadmi Party is battling to stay united and stay relevant. While buzz about a possible split is growing louder, the victorious Bharatiya Janata Party says it has shut its doors to defectors.

Highly placed BJP sources told Mail Today on Thursday that at least six AAP MLAs approached the party's Delhi leadership immediately after the MCD poll results, but were turned away.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party stormed to power in Delhi two years ago as it buried the BJP and Congress under a landslide. But it stood a distant second in the civic elections with the Bharatiya Janata Party riding the Narendra Modi wave one more time to a thumping win.

AAP MLAS KNOCK BJP'S DOORS?

"Six AAP MLAs had approached the party leadership, seeking time to meet Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari," a BJP leader said. "They wanted to discuss the political developments in the wake of the civic poll results. They said they were also willing to join the BJP. But the party leadership has refused to meet them."

City BJP leaders said the party was averse to take any AAP legislator to its fold primarily for two reasons. First, the BJP has gained immensely on the development plank of PM Narendra Modi and there was no need to rely on support from AAP defectors.

Secondly, AAP has been extremely critical of the BJP and its top leaders including Modi and party president Amit Shah. "With the BJP riding high on a Modi wave, entry of AAP leaders in the BJP camp would dampen the spirit of the party cadre," BJP leaders said. "We cannot take leaders from a party which has been bitterly critical of our top leaders."

"The BJP is firm on its stand. No defector will be allowed in the party after the election results lest we should be accused of hatching conspiracies or poaching," said the BJP leader.

WAIT AND WATCH

The party has decided to wait and watch the situation in the AAP. Meanwhile, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday called a meeting of all party MLAs and the newly-elected 48 MCD councilors, and congratulated them on their win.

The developments emerged amid reports that embattled AAP convener Kejriwal told his partymen "not to lose heart" from the embarrassing loss and "get back to serving the people of Delhi the way they were doing."

"Be vigilant, be honest, be brave. Also be sure to secretly record any offers made by the BJP to switch sides," he says in a video posted on YouTube.

Kejriwal concludes his address by leading his audience in an oath which amounts to, "With God as my witness, I pledge never to ditch this pure party or betray the (anticorruption) movement."

RIFT WITHIN AAP

The rift within AAP is palpable after the election results. While there has been no vocal protest so far, a number of party leaders have been questioning Kejriwal's style of functioning. "AAP contested all elections with Kejriwal as its face. But responsibility has to be fixed for repeated electoral defeats. At the same time, the party organisation should be strengthened instead of creating a personality cult," said some leaders, requesting anonymity.

Senior Punjab AAP leader Sanjay Singh resigned on Thursday along with his deputy Durgesh Pathak. "I have submitted my resignation as the party in-charge of Punjab to AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal. Durgesh (Pathak) has also submitted his resignation as co-incharge," Singh said in a tweet.

Another senior leader in Delhi, Ashish Talwar, also resigned from his post. The party made transport minister Gopal Rai the Delhi convener on Thursday following Dilip Pandey resigning from the post immediately after the MCD poll debacle on Wednesday

After the meeting at the CM's residence, AAP legislator Vishesh Ravi said, "It's been decided that the MLAs will go back to the people and try to find out where the communication gap between the legislators and them has occurred."

Ravi, MLA from Karol Bagh, said that in the meeting, the EVM manipulation issue also came up for discussion. "AAP will soon decide its future course of action on this issue. At present, related evidence (pertaining to EVM manipulation) is being gathered," he said.Also Read

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