New Delhi/Chandigarh, April 24: Seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha members have moved to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, citing a desire for a new political direction. Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak, the architects of AAP’s 2022 Punjab victory, announced the decision today, asserting that nearly 70 percent of the party’s upper house wing has now shifted its loyalty to the BJP.
Chadha stated that the group has already fulfilled the legal requirements for such a transition. He affirmed that the move includes lawmakers Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, and Swati Maliwal, among others. According to the Constitution, if two-thirds of the members of a party go to another party, then it is considered legally correct, Chadha declared during the media briefing. He maintained that the formal letters of transition have been delivered to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
The Aam Aadmi Party responded to the news with allegations of political coercion. Chief spokesperson Baltej Pannu affirmed that the BJP utilized central agencies to create an atmosphere of fear among MPs to force the split. Pannu asserted that the Union Home Ministry orchestrated the move by allegedly offering Chadha a ministerial post in the central government. The party also pointed to a recent ED raid on Ashok Mittal’s offices as evidence of what they described as a targeted conspiracy.
The departure of Chadha and Pathak is viewed as a major setback for the AAP as it prepares for the 2027 assembly polls. Both leaders had been instrumental in formulating the party’s ground-level strategy. However, internal shifts had been brewing since early April when Chadha was stripped of his deputy leadership role in the House. BJP representatives declared that the inclusion of these veteran strategists would significantly bolster their influence across the Punjab region.
