NEW DELHI — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal has reacted sharply to the high-profile exit of Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, who announced his move to the BJP on Friday. In a terse response on X, Kejriwal stated, “The BJP has once again betrayed Punjabis,” after Chadha led a faction of seven MPs to merge with the ruling party.
Chadha, a face of the party for 15 years, claimed the AAP has “stepped away from honest politics” and labeled the current leadership as “corrupt and compromised.”
The “Super-Majority” Defection
The move is strategically timed to bypass the Anti-Defection Law. By securing seven out of AAP’s 10 Rajya Sabha members, the group meets the two-thirds threshold required to avoid disqualification.
The Switching MPs:
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Raghav Chadha (Punjab)
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Sandeep Pathak & Ashok Mittal (Key strategists)
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Harbhajan Singh (Former cricketer)
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Swati Maliwal (Former DCW chief)
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Rajinder Gupta & Vikram Sahney
Internal Rift and Motivations
Sources suggest the relationship between Chadha and the AAP leadership soured significantly this month after he was accused of “soft-peddling” criticism against the Prime Minister.
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The Sacking: Tensions peaked when Kejriwal removed Chadha as Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha on April 2.
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The Reward: Speculation is rife that Chadha may be inducted as a Union Minister following his formal entry into the BJP.
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The Maliwal Factor: Swati Maliwal’s inclusion follows a public fallout after her allegations of assault at the former CM’s residence last year.
Political Fallout
The defection is a massive blow to the AAP ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Senior leader Sanjay Singh lashed out at the move, stating the party gave Chadha “everything,” only for him to end up in the “BJP’s lap.”
As the AAP battles the aftermath of the liquor policy case and leadership changes, this merger shifts the power dynamics in the Upper House and creates a major challenge for Bhagwant Mann’s government in Punjab.
