Raghav Chadha and six other Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs on Friday announced their decision to quit the party and merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party, in a major political shift in Parliament.
The move comes days after Chadha was removed as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, with the party accusing him of failing to raise key issues against the government.
Announcing the decision at a press conference, Chadha said that two-thirds of AAP’s members in the Upper House had agreed to the merger, invoking provisions under the Constitution that allow such a move without disqualification.
Along with Chadha, the MPs joining the BJP include Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal. Chadha said the group had submitted a signed letter and supporting documents to the Rajya Sabha Chairman confirming their decision.
Disqualification battle looms
Reacting to the development, AAP MP Sanjay Singh said he would move to seek the disqualification of Chadha, Mittal and Pathak from the Rajya Sabha for defecting to the BJP.
Why MPs may retain seats
Under constitutional provisions, legislators can avoid disqualification if at least two-thirds of a party’s members agree to merge with another party. Chadha said that out of AAP’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, seven are part of the decision — meeting the required threshold.
“As per the Constitution, two-thirds of the total MPs of a party can merge with another party,” he said.
‘Right man in the wrong party’
Explaining his exit, Chadha said he felt increasingly out of place within AAP.
“For the past few years, I could feel that I am the right man in the wrong party,” he said, adding that the party had “deviated from its principles, values and core morals.”
He also alleged that he was sidelined within the party leadership, saying he was not considered part of its inner circle. “We had just two options — either quit politics or continue public service through positive politics,” Chadha added, defending the decision to join the BJP.
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