7 out of 10 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs joining BJP, says Raghav Chadha

In another dramatic blow — though anticipated — blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), a group of its Rajya Sabha MPs led by Raghav Chadha on Friday announced their decision to merge with the BJP, ending a deepening internal rupture that had been building for months.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Chadha said seven out of AAP’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs had invoked constitutional provisions to join the BJP. “As per the Constitution, two-thirds of the total MPs of a party can merge with another party,” he said, adding that the group had submitted the requisite documents to vice-president and Rajya Sabha chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan.

Those joining the BJP alongside Chadha include Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahni, Swati Maliwal and Ashok Mittal. Pathak and Mittal were present at the briefing.

While the announcement marks a formal split, Chadha’s departure has been some time in the making. Once seen as one of AAP’s most prominent national faces and a close aide of party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Chadha had in recent months appeared increasingly at odds with the leadership. His relative sidelining in key organisational decisions, coupled with reported disagreements over strategy and alliances, had fuelled speculation of an imminent break.

Political observers note that Chadha had also softened his public stance towards the BJP in recent months, a shift that did not go unnoticed within party ranks. His exit, therefore, comes less as a shock and more as the culmination of a widening internal divide.

For AAP, the defection significantly weakens its presence in the Upper House and raises questions about internal cohesion at a time when the party is attempting to expand beyond its core strongholds. For the BJP, the move bolsters its numbers in the Rajya Sabha while delivering a symbolic blow to a key opposition rival.

The coming days are likely to see both parties harden their positions, but the immediate message is clear: AAP’s national ambitions have suffered a serious setback, and a once-prominent leader has decisively switched sides.

With PTI inputs