AAP Secures Confidence Motion Amidst Political Turmoil in Punjab

Confidence Motion Passed in Punjab Assembly

On Friday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) successfully passed a confidence motion in the Punjab Assembly, which consists of 117 members. This motion was introduced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during a special session, following the recent split of seven out of ten AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, who announced their decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The AAP holds a commanding majority in the Punjab Assembly with 94 MLAs, while the Congress has 16, and the Shiromani Akali Dal has three. Additionally, there are two BJP legislators, one from the Bahujan Samaj Party, and one Independent.

During the voting for the confidence motion, 88 of AAP's 94 MLAs were present, as reported. Two MLAs were abroad, two were incarcerated, and two were hospitalized.

The Congress party staged a walkout during the session, while the BJP chose to boycott it. Mann stated that the motion was necessary to dispel rumors suggesting that AAP members were in discussions with opposition parties.

Merger of AAP MPs with BJP

On April 24, Raghav Chadha, AAP's former deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, announced that seven of the party's ten MPs in the Upper House would merge with the BJP. He asserted that this decision had the backing of two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha members, aligning with constitutional provisions for such mergers.

Chadha made this declaration during a press conference alongside AAP MPs Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal. He mentioned that other AAP MPs, including Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal, supported the merger, although Maliwal was the only one not elected from Punjab, where AAP governs.

On April 26, AAP leader Sanjay Singh filed a petition with Rajya Sabha Chairperson CP Radhakrishnan, seeking the disqualification of the seven MPs, arguing that their actions constituted defection and breached anti-defection laws.

Radhakrishnan subsequently approved the merger of the seven MPs with the BJP. This development increased the BJP's strength to 113 MPs in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, while AAP retains three MPs in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

To achieve a majority in the Upper House, a party or coalition requires the support of 123 members. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance now boasts 137 members in the Rajya Sabha.