Delhi Assembly polls 2015: Know the leaders who jumped ship this election season

New Delhi, Jan 16: With the Election Commission announcing dates for Assembly elections in Delhi, the stage is set for another face off between Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party. So far, Congress is nowhere in the picture.

Opinion polls have predicted a clear-cut majority to BJP, followed by Arvind Kejriwal's AAP. Congress is at third position in almost every survey that has come so far. Be it BJP, AAP or Congress, the political parties are leaving no stone unturned to woo the voters.

BJP which is riding high on Modi wave is claiming that like Haryana, Jharkhand and Mahrashtra, the party will emerge as king in the capital too. On the other hand, Kejriwal is seeing the return of AAP-led government in Delhi.

Among all this, there are some politicians who are jumping ships, some of them are rebel, some were dumped, some simply walked across. Here are some of the politicians who have jumped ship ahead of the Assembly polls.

AAP's Shakeel Anjum Dehlavi, Farhana Anjum join BJP

Dealing a major blow to the Aam Aadmi Party, two of its leaders has recently joined the BJP. Both Shakeel Anjum Dehlavi and Farhana Anjum had unsuccessfully contested the 2013 Assembly polls from Matia Mahal and Ballimaran respectively.

Kiran Bedi, former IPS officer, joins BJP:

Retired IPS officer and former Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday joined the BJP.

She was inducted into party fold in the presence of party president Amit Shah at the party headquarters. Speaking on the occasion, Kiran Bedi said she had decided to join BJP due to the inspirational leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Modi's leadership inspired me to take the plunge in politics," Kiran Bedi said.

"I have never worked for position or money. I've always looked at what I can contribute towards the country," Kiran Bedi said.

Former Mundka MLA, Rambeer Shokeen, wife join Congress

Rambeer Shokeen, who was elected as an independent MLA in the 2013 Assembly polls in Delhi, joined Congress along with his wife, saying his "faith in BJP has eroded". Shokeen, who was elected from Mundka, and his wife Rita Shokeen, a ward councillor in the Narela Zone of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) in the same area.
Congress has fielded Rita Shokeen from Mundka seat.

Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi to join BJP

Speculation is rife that former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi is likely to join the BJP on Friday. The official declaration over the same will be made at BJP's press conference at 3 pm, on Friday.

BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay has confirmed about Ilmi's induction into the BJP fold.

Ilmi, a prominent woman and minority face of the party contested the 2013 assembly polls from RK Puram and lost by a slender margin.