In a stunning political development that could reshape the fortunes of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Rajya Sabha, senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Friday announced his resignation from the party and merger with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with six other AAP MPs from the Upper House.
The seven MPs, constituting more than two-thirds of AAP’s 10-member Rajya Sabha contingent, submitted signed letters and documents to the Rajya Sabha Chairman this morning, formally triggering the merger under the anti-defection law’s exception for two-thirds splits. The MPs who joined Chadha are: Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal.
Addressing the media in New Delhi, Chadha said, “We have decided that we, the ⅔rd members belonging to the AAP in Rajya Sabha, exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP.”
#WATCH | Delhi: Addressing a press conference with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, AAP MP Raghav Chadha says, "We have decided that we, the 2/3rd members belonging to the AAP in Rajya Sabha, exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP." pic.twitter.com/K3IK4TPXml
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2026
He added, “The AAP, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat, and gave 15 years of my youth to, has deviated from its principles, values and core morals. Now this party does not work in the interest of the nation but for its personal benefits… For the past few years, I could feel that I am the right man in the wrong party. So, today, we announce that I am distancing myself from the AAP and getting close to public.”
Talking about the merger with BJP, he said, “As per the Constitution, two-thirds of the total MPs of a party can merge with another party. We have submitted a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan in this regard today… submitting all the documents required.”
Chadha, once seen as one of AAP’s brightest stars and a close aide to party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, had been at the centre of a growing rift with the leadership for weeks. He was removed as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, with the party accusing him of failing to toe the party line on key issues. Tensions escalated further over his perceived reluctance to criticise the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Reacting sharply to the exits, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh called the seven leaders “traitors” and alleged an “Operation Lotus” by the BJP. “Punjab won’t forget these 7 MPs. They have stabbed the people of Punjab in the back,” Singh said. Addressing Modi and Amit Shah, he added, “To Modi and Amit Shah I say, this despicable game that you have played with AAP and the people of Punjab, you too will never be forgiven by the people of Punjab.”
The mass defection is a significant setback for AAP, especially in Punjab, where the party has drawn much of its Rajya Sabha strength. Chadha had played a prominent role in the party’s Punjab affairs in recent years.
This is the latest in a series of high-profile exits from AAP, which has seen multiple leaders leave amid internal differences since its rise to prominence.
