India, April 24 -- Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal's long standoff with the Aam Aadmi Party has finally culminated in her entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but the delay wasn't political hesitation as much as legal arithmetic.

Swati Maliwal was among seven Rajya Sabha MPs who exited AAP on April 24 as part of a coordinated breakaway led by Raghav Chadha. The group has now moved to merge with the BJP, crossing the two-thirds mark required under the anti-defection law.

Nearly two years after her public fallout with Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP, Swati Maliwal has formally aligned with the BJP.

Her departure comes after months of escalating tensions with the AAP leadership. Once considered close to Kejriwal, activist-turned-politicia...