Former Top Cop Kiran Bedi Joins BJP, Will Contest Elections

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jan 15, 2015:  Delhi’s best known former cop and activist Kiran Bedi has joined the BJP. Party chief Amit Shah confirmed that she will contest the assembly elections from Delhi next month.

Ms Bedi, 65, drove up to the BJP headquarters in Delhi with Mr Shah this evening and shared stage with him and other top leaders like Arun Jaitley and Dr Harshvardhan as she was formally inducted into the party.

Mr Shah welcomed Ms Bedi to the party and said her joining would strengthen the Delhi unit of the BJP. He did not comment when asked whether she would be fielded in next month’s election against Aam Aadmi Party president Arvind Kejriwal or whether she would be the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate. 

Ms Bedi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said she has joined the BJP "due to the PM’s inspirational leadership." 

Mr Jaitley said Ms Bedi has been a crusader and that the "BJP has strived to get experienced and reliable people join the party. For the last few years we have tried to get people who work beyond the political sphere, have earned a name and reliability."

Ms Bedi was a prominent member of what was called Team Anna, a core group of activists who worked closely with Gandhian activist Anna Hazare when he launched his campaign to demand a bill to appoint a Lokpal or national ombudsman against graft.

Mr Kejriwal too was a member of Team Anna, but he later fell out with Mr Hazare over his decision to launch a political party. Ms Bedi has since been a stern critic of Mr Kejriwal.

Elections will be held on February 7 in Delhi, which has not had an elected government since Arvind Kejriwal resigned as chief minister last February after 49 days.

He is the AAP’s candidate again for the post. The BJP is reportedly looking for someone to contest against him in his New Delhi constituency, which he wrested from former chief minister of the Congress Sheila Dikshit, who had won it thrice in a row before being soundly defeated by Mr Kejriwal in December 2013.