Raghav Chadha among 7 AAP MPs shifting to BJP in RS shake-up

In a major political development, seven Rajya Sabha MPs from the Aam Aadmi Party, including Raghav Chadha, have quit the party and are set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The MPsChadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwalaccount for more than two-thirds of AAPs strength in the Upper House. They have submitted documents to the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking recognition of a merger under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which, if accepted, would allow them to shift to the BJP without disqualification.

Chadha said the move was driven by differences over the partys direction, alleging that AAP had drifted from its founding principles. He added that he had distanced himself from party activities over the past year. The group has also met senior BJP leaders in New Delhi, signalling a formal realignment that could strengthen the BJP-led National Democratic Alliances position in the Rajya Sabha.

 

Responding to the development, Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP of poaching AAP leaders, while party MP Sanjay Singh said AAP would seek disqualification of the members if the merger route is not accepted. The split comes amid internal tensions within the party and follows recent changes in its Rajya Sabha leadership.

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