Seven Rajya Sabha MPs from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Raghav Chadha, have broken ranks and merged their faction with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move delivers a big setback to the AAP’s presence in Parliament and raises immediate questions about its internal cohesion and strategy in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections in the state.
Of the seven MPs involved in the shift, six are from Punjab and one from Delhi. The exodus, according to multiple sources familiar with the developments, was neither spontaneous nor isolated. Instead, it followed weeks of internal friction.
The Trigger
The sequence of events appears to have been set in motion on April 5, when the AAP leadership removed Raghav Chadha from his position as Deputy Leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha. The decision marked a formal distancing between Chadha and the party leadership led by Arvind Kejriwal, although sources suggest that the rift had been widening for some time.
According to sources, following his removal, Chadha began reaching out to fellow AAP MPs, gauging dissatisfaction levels and testing the viability of a coordinated departure.
The Two-Thirds Threshold
In the Rajya Sabha, AAP currently holds 10 MPs. By securing the support of seven members, more than two-thirds, Chadha’s faction effectively insulated itself from disqualification under the anti-defection provisions. This legal threshold proved critical, allowing the group to formally merge with another party without facing immediate consequences.
At a press conference, Chadha confirmed the numbers and the procedural steps taken. “More than two-thirds of the Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MPs are with us in this initiative,” he said. “They have already signed, and this morning we submitted all the required documentation, including signed letters and other formal paperwork, to the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.”
Mapping The Defectors
The seven MPs who aligned with Chadha represent a cross-section of the AAP’s composition in Parliament.
One group comprises long-time political workers like Chadha himself, Sandeep Pathak, and Swati Maliwal. Each rose through the party’s organisational ranks before entering Parliament.
A second group includes figures from business and non-political backgrounds like Ashok Mittal, Vikramjeet Sahni, and Rajendra Gupta. These individuals brought financial and professional clout to the party but were not rooted in its activist origins.
The seventh member, Harbhajan Singh, a former international cricketer, also falls into the non-political category. His engagement with party affairs had been limited, and sources suggest he viewed alignment with the BJP as more conducive to his professional trajectory.
Discontent And Opportunity
Within this group, motivations varied but converged around a shared sense of disillusionment. Sandeep Pathak, once considered a key strategist and adviser to Kejriwal, had reportedly been sidelined following the party’s defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections. According to sources, he no longer saw a viable future within the AAP.
Swati Maliwal had already taken a confrontational stance against the party leadership in recent months, effectively positioning herself outside its core decision-making structure.
For the business-linked MPs, the calculus appears to have been shaped by both political and regulatory pressures. On April 15, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at premises linked to Ashok Mittal in Punjab as part of a FEMA investigation. Rajendra Gupta had previously faced scrutiny from the Income Tax Department. While no direct link has been established between these actions and the political shift, the timing has drawn attention.
The Timeline
Initial discussions about Chadha’s possible move to the BJP date back several months. According to sources, an earlier plan envisaged a transition around Diwali. This timeline was later advanced to August, with the aim of allowing sufficient time to campaign against the AAP-led government in Punjab, headed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
However, the April decision to remove Chadha from his Rajya Sabha leadership role appears to have accelerated the process. Rather than waiting, he began consolidating support immediately, ultimately executing the move within weeks.
The Final Approach
Chadha also attempted to bring additional MPs into the fold. He reached out to Balbir Singh Seechewal, a social activist and Rajya Sabha member, but the latter declined to join the group. By that stage, however, Chadha had already secured the numbers required to proceed.
The Public Break
On Friday, the break became public. Chadha, flanked by Pathak and Mittal, addressed a press conference announcing their departure.
“AAP, that I nurtured with my blood and sweat and to which I gave 15 years of my youth, has completely strayed from its principles, values and core morals,” Chadha said.
He went further, arguing that the party was no longer working in the national interest. “Over the past few years, I have increasingly felt that I am the right person in the wrong party,” he added.
Sandeep Pathak echoed the sentiment. “For 10 years, I remained associated with this party. And today, I am parting ways with the Aam Aadmi Party,” he said, describing the decision as one he had not anticipated but now found unavoidable.
The Missing Four
Only three of the seven MPs appeared publicly at the time of the announcement.
According to sources, Swati Maliwal is on a tour of the Northeast. Harbhajan Singh is engaged with commitments related to the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rajendra Gupta is abroad for medical treatment. Vikramjeet Sahni is in Delhi but has cited health reasons for not addressing the press.
Despite their absence, Chadha asserted that all seven MPs had formally endorsed the move and completed the necessary documentation.
The BJP welcomed the MPs as party president Nitin Nabin met with Chadha earlier today.
“Welcomed Raghav Chadha Ji, Sandeep Pathak Ji, and Ashok Mittal Ji to the BJP family at the Party HQ today. Also, best wishes to Harbhajan Singh Ji, Swati Maliwal Ji, Vikram Sahney Ji, and Rajinder Gupta ji to work under the dynamic leadership of PM Narendra Modi towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047,” Nabin said in a post on X.
Chadha said today that the MPs have submitted a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan. The AAP MPs will formally join the BJP after the Rajya Sabha Chairman ratifies their documents.