Aam Aadmi Party Shake-Up: Ashok Mittal Takes Over as Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha

Leadership Changes in AAP's Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has appointed Ashok Mittal, a lawmaker from Punjab, as its new deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. This decision indicates a significant shift, as it suggests the removal of Rahul Chadha from his current position as Deputy Leader in the Upper House, making way for Mittal's ascent.

The party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, has formally communicated this change to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, requesting the appointment of Ashok Mittal as the new Deputy Leader, according to reliable sources.

Sanjay Singh currently serves as the leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha and chairs the AAP parliamentary group.

Additionally, the party has reportedly asked the Secretariat to refrain from allocating time to the outgoing deputy leader. Raghav Chadha has been notably active in addressing public issues and concerns in recent months.

Despite this leadership change, the relationship between AAP and Raghav Chadha appears to be tense, although both parties have chosen to remain silent about the situation. Speculation is rife regarding Chadha potentially shifting his political allegiance ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab.

The AAP holds ten seats in the Rajya Sabha, predominantly filled by representatives from Punjab, where the party is currently in power.

Among the ten MPs, seven hail from Punjab: Raghav Chadha, Rajinder Gupta, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Sandeep Kumar Pathak, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Harbhajan Singh, and Sant Balbir Singh.

The remaining lawmakers from Delhi include Swati Maliwal, Narain Dass Gupta, and Sanjay Singh.

The decision to replace Raghav Chadha with Ashok Mittal reflects the party's discomfort with certain members in the Upper House.

Previously, Swati Maliwal had a fallout with the party leadership after being allegedly coerced to relinquish her seat, yet she continues to serve as an AAP MP in the Rajya Sabha.