Speaker disqualifies two rebel AAP MLAs

New Delhi: Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Thursday disqualified rebel AAP MLAs Devinder Sehrawat and Anil Bajpai under the anti-defection law, according to official orders.

Bajpai and Sehrawat had shared the stage with BJP leaders during the recent Lok Sabha polls.

The decision comes nearly a week after Goel disqualified rebel AAP MLA and former Delhi minister Kapil Mishra for campaigning for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party.

Sehrawat is a legislator from Bijwasan, while Bajpai represents the Gandhi Nagar constituency in the Assembly.

The disqualification orders have been issued on pleas of AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj.

In his order, the Speaker said Bajpai appeared at a press conference where he joined the Bhartaiya Janata Party.

Also, the press note of the BJP stated Bajpai has joined the party on May 3 this year, which clearly proves that he has voluntarily given up the membership of the Aam Aadmi Party on May 3.

"Hence, the Respondent (Bajpai) has become subject to disqualification...The disqualification of Anil Kumar Bajpai takes effect from May 3, 2019," the order stated.

With regard to Sehrawat, the Speaker in a separate order said that the Bijwasan MLA had not specifically denied that he was stated to have joined the BJP in the press conference — a fact that was duly proven by the depositions of the witnesses.