Seven of AAP’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs shifted to BJP, dealing a major blow to Arvind Kejriwal’s party and strengthening the ruling party’s position in the Upper House.
New Delhi : Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha on Friday resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), taking six other Rajya Sabha MPs with him in a major political setback for the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of key elections.
Chadha said seven of AAP’s 10 members in the Upper House had decided to merge with the BJP, crossing the two-thirds mark required under the anti-defection law to avoid disqualification from Parliament.
The MPs joining the BJP include Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahney. Most of them represent Punjab in the Rajya Sabha.
Addressing a press conference, Chadha said he felt like the “right man in the wrong party” and alleged that AAP had moved away from its founding principles and values. He said he could no longer remain associated with what he described as the party’s internal failures and political direction.
His resignation comes days after he was removed as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha and replaced by Mittal, a development widely seen as a sign of growing internal tensions within the party.
The move is being seen as a major blow to AAP and party chief Arvind Kejriwal, particularly in Punjab where the party is in power and where most of the defecting MPs are based.
The BJP is expected to benefit from stronger numbers in the Rajya Sabha, while AAP faces renewed questions over internal unity and leadership stability.
