New Delhi, April 24
Three former members of the Aam Aadmi Party, including Raghav Chadha, have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, in a move that signals a significant shift in the balance of power in the upper house. Senior leaders Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Friday, shortly after resigning from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The leaders were welcomed at the party’s headquarters by BJP chief Nitin Nabin, where they were greeted by senior party members.
Four other MPs — Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sahney — are also expected to join the BJP at a later stage.
Speaking to reporters, Chadha said the group represented more than two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha members and would act as a separate faction aligned with the BJP. He cited dissatisfaction with the party’s direction, claiming it had moved away from its founding principles.
“I feel I am in the wrong party,” he said, adding that he wanted to work more closely with the public.
Pathak, who had been associated with AAP for a decade, said the decision was difficult but unavoidable. “I never imagined this situation, but it has come to this,” he said.
AAP currently holds 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha, and the departures could significantly weaken its position in the chamber if confirmed.
The developments come amid heightened political tensions, with the Enforcement Directorate recently carrying out searches linked to Mittal in a foreign exchange-related investigation.
The resignations mark one of the most serious internal challenges faced by AAP in recent years, raising questions about party unity and its future strategy at the national level.
