Raghav Chadha and six other Members of Parliament resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. The shift reduces AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha and marks a clear split within its parliamentary ranks.
Speaking at a press conference along with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Chadha said that more than two thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha members had decided to merge with the BJP. He said the required documents, signed by the MPs, had already been submitted to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Chadha said he had spent 15 years building the party but felt it had moved away from its founding values. He said the party no longer works in the larger public interest and added that he had for some time felt out of place. He described his decision as a step closer to the people rather than to a political organisation.
Along with Chadha, Pathak and Mittal, the MPs who backed the move include Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal. In total, seven out of AAP’s ten Rajya Sabha MPs supported the merger.
The development follows recent tensions within the party. Earlier this month, Chadha was replaced as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha by Mittal. The party had accused him of not signing a notice related to the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and of staying away from Opposition protests. Chadha responded by questioning whether raising public issues had become a problem.
The group has relied on the anti defection provisions under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. These rules allow a merger without disqualification if at least two thirds of the legislators support it. Chadha said all required documents and signatures were submitted to ensure the transition is legally valid.
This development comes soon after Chadha was removed as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. The party had accused him of not backing certain Opposition actions, while Chadha questioned whether raising public issues had become a problem within the party.
The exit of a large section of its Rajya Sabha MPs is a serious setback for AAP and raises questions about its internal cohesion. For the BJP, the shift adds to its strength in the Upper House.
