Former AAP leader Kapil Mishra joins BJP in presence of party leaders Manoj Tiwari and Vijay Goel

Former minister in the Arvind Kejriwal government and disqualified MLA Kapil Mishra along with AAP women's wing chief Richa Pandey joined the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP in Delhi today.

The two leaders were welcomed by BJP national vice president Shyam Jaju and Delhi unit president Manoj Tiwari at the party's office on Pant Marg.

"I welcome Kapil Mishra and Richa Pandey into the BJP and hope they will serve Delhi by following the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and philosophy of Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Syama Prasad Mookerjee," Mr Tiwari said after welcoming them.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had disqualified Kapil Mishra earlier this month under the anti-defection law after he campaigned for the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections in May.

Mr Mishra, elected from Delhi's Karawalnagar seat, has challenged his disqualification in Delhi High court.

Speculations over Mr Mishra joining the BJP were making rounds since he started criticising Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal after being removed as a minister in May 2017.

Subsequently, he grew close to many Delhi BJP leaders and often shared the stage with them at public events.

