Major Blow to AAP in Rajya Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha MPs including Raghav Chadha Join BJP

VoM News Desk | April 24, 2026 | 11:05 PM IST | Breaking News, India, Politics | Follow on Google News

Major Blow to AAP in Rajya Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha MPs including Raghav Chadha Join BJP

NEW DELHI, Apr 24 (VoM News) — In a significant political development, seven Rajya Sabha members of the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday broke ranks and announced their decision to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party, dealing a major blow to the party in the Upper House.

The group, led by Raghav Chadha, includes Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal. The MPs said more than two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha strength backed the move, allowing them to retain their membership.

Some of the leaders, including Chadha, Pathak and Mittal, visited the BJP headquarters and met party president Nitin Nabin before formally joining.

Explaining his decision, Chadha said he felt he was “in the wrong party” despite contributing significantly over the years. Sahney said the move would help him serve Punjab “with greater dedication,” citing the state’s economic challenges.

The AAP accused the BJP of engineering defections under “Operation Lotus” and said it would seek disqualification of some MPs. Party leader Sanjay Singh said a petition would be submitted to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

Reacting to the development, BJP leaders welcomed the move. Union Minister SP Singh Baghel said several AAP leaders had grown disillusioned with the party’s direction under Arvind Kejriwal.

The shift strengthens the BJP-led NDA’s numbers in the Rajya Sabha and marks a major political realignment ahead of upcoming electoral battles.

VoM News Desk

VoM News is an online web portal in jammu Kashmir offers regional, National & global news.