Delhi Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday, ANI reported. His departure has increased resentment against Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken who has been blamed for “irregularities” in ticket distribution for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections to be held on April 23.

Besides Singh, Delhi Youth Congress President Amit Malik also joined the BJP on Tuesday, Hindustan Times reported. The BJP welcomed Singh in a function attended by senior party leaders, including Amit Shah. East Delhi MP Maheish Girri said the party would “hugely benefit” from Singh’s experience.

Congress leaders in Delhi had earlier expressed unhappiness at the way the party distributed tickets for the upcoming civic polls in the Capital. The “dissatisfied” leaders had sought Maken’s resignation. On Tuesday, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also criticised Maken and said that it was because of him that stalwarts like Singh had left the party.

One of the key ministers in the Sheila Dikshit government, Singh held important portfolios such as education, tourism, urban development and transport. He was elected to the Delhi Assembly from the Gandhi Nagar seat for the first time in 1998 and did not lose a single election since then. He did not contest the 2015 elections.