Three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators from Punjab, including former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Monday in the presence of Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon.
The other two leaders who joined the BJP were Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and former Cabinet minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra. While Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh resigned as an MLA on Monday morning, Pathanmajra and Jouramajra had quit the AAP on Sunday.
Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who represented Amritsar North in the Punjab Assembly submitted his resignation to the Speaker with effect from November 1. He also announced his decision in a social media post, thanking the people of his constituency for their support and affection.
“I will remain grateful to you till my last breath for the love and respect you have given me,” he said.
Explaining his decision, he said his aim in public life was to work for Punjab’s development and that he had no personal interests. He called for clean politics and transparent administration, urging people to move beyond what he described as the politics of streets, drainage and ribbon-cutting.
He said Punjab should work towards becoming a developed and leading state.
Claiming that he had completed nearly 90 per cent of the work expected of an MLA, he said the responsibilities of councillors, mayors and MPs should not be confused with those of an elected legislator. He added that details of the development work in his constituency were available in newspapers and on his Facebook page.
Before entering politics, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh held several senior positions in the Punjab Police. He served as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur and as Police Commissioner of Jalandhar and Ludhiana. He also served as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Border Range and other units.
One of his key assignments was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2015 Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan police firing cases. The cases followed protests over incidents of sacrilege involving the Guru Granth Sahib. He also served in the Punjab Police’s Special Task Force (STF).
Chetan Singh Jouramajra joined the Punjab Cabinet in July 2022 and was given the Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education and Research, and Elections portfolios.During a Cabinet reshuffle in January 2023, he was divested of the Health portfolio and assigned Horticulture, Food Processing, Freedom Fighters and Defence Services Welfare.He was dropped from the Council of Ministers in September 2024 but continued as the MLA from Samana.
The 2022 Punjab Assembly elections marked a turning point for Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra. Contesting on an AAP ticket, he won the Sanaur seat, defeating SAD candidate Harinder Pal Singh Chandumajra by 49,112 votes. He returned to the spotlight in 2025 after publicly criticising the state government’s handling of floods. He questioned the administration’s preparedness and raised concerns over drain desilting, embankment maintenance and lapses in flood management.
The warning signs of Jouramajra’s exit surfaced in September 2026, when the AAP leadership appointed former Akali Dal leader Surjit Singh Rakhra as political supervisor (halqa in-charge) for the Samana constituency. The move was widely seen as an indication that Jouramajra might not get the party ticket for the 2027 Assembly elections. This perception gained ground when his name was missing from AAP’s initial list of 40 candidates.
Pathanmajra again came into the limelight after he publicly questioned the state government’s handling of floods in 2025.
Pathanmajra began his political career with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and was associated with its youth wing. He later became active in local politics and served as Block Samiti chairman, building his political base in the region.
Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh spent several years in senior positions in the Punjab Police, serving as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur. He also headed the police forces in Jalandhar and Ludhiana as Police Commissioner and served as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Border Range and other units. One of the most significant assignments of his career was leading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2015 Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan police firing cases. The cases stemmed from protests following incidents of sacrilege involving the Guru Granth Sahib. He also served in the Punjab Police’s Special Task Force (STF).
The 2022 Punjab Assembly elections proved to be turning point for Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra. Contesting on AAP ticket, he won the Sanaur seat, defeating SAD candidate Harinder Pal Singh Chandumajra by margin of 49,112 votes.
He made headlines again in 2025 when he publicly criticised the state government handling of floods. He questioned the preparedness of the administration and raised concerns over the desilting of drains, maintenance of embankments and other shortcomings in flood management.
Pathanmajra began his political career with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and was associated with its youth wing. He also became active in local politics and served as Block Samiti chairman gradually building his political base in the region.
His political journey saw several shifts before he joined the AAP. After starting with the SAD, he spent time with the People Party of Punjab before returning to the Akali Dal. In 2017 after failing to secure Congress ticket, he contested the Assembly election as Independent candidate but lost.
Dr Kiran Deep
