Raghav Chadha Resigns from AAP, Joins BJP with Support from Fellow MPs
Raghav Chadha's Departure from AAP
New Delhi. Raghav Chadha, a member of the Rajya Sabha, has announced his resignation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) during a press conference. He expressed his disappointment, stating that the party has strayed far from the ideals and core values for which it was established. Chadha declared, “I am distancing myself from AAP and moving closer to the public.”
In a sharp and candid remark, he described himself as a ‘right person in the wrong party.’ He conveyed feelings of suffocation within the party, noting that its current form does not align with its foundational principles.
Chadha revealed that more than two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha members are now aligned with him, having signed on to support his decision. This group includes notable leaders such as Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajendra Gupta, Sandeep Pathak, Vikramjeet Sahni, and Ashok Mittal.
AAP previously held 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha, with 7 from Punjab and 3 from Delhi. Following this resignation, the party now has only three members remaining in the Rajya Sabha: Sanjay Singh (Delhi), N.D. Gupta (Delhi), and water activist Balbir Singh Sichewal (Punjab).
During a press conference alongside Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Chadha stated, “We have decided that we, two-thirds of AAP members in the Rajya Sabha, will merge with the BJP using the provisions of the Indian Constitution.”
He further emphasized that he has invested his blood, sweat, and 15 years of youth into AAP, but the party has deviated from its principles, values, and ethics. He criticized the party for prioritizing personal gains over national interests. For some time, he felt he was in the wrong party despite being the right person. Therefore, he announced his separation from AAP to reconnect with the public.
AAP's Parliamentary Strength Diminished!
The Aam Aadmi Party had a total of 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, with 7 from Punjab and 3 from Delhi. However, the party faced a significant blow today as three prominent MPs—Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal—held a press conference to announce their departure and formal joining of the BJP. They claimed that now more than two-thirds of the Rajya Sabha members from AAP are with them (BJP).
Previously, during the Delhi Assembly elections, Swati Maliwal had also shown signs of dissent. With the exit of Raghav, Sandeep, and Ashok, Arvind Kejriwal's influence in the Rajya Sabha has been drastically reduced. This major split raises serious questions about the future and organizational unity of the Aam Aadmi Party.
This rebellion is largely attributed to the party's defeat in the Delhi elections. Following this failure, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sidelined Sandeep Pathak. In the final stages of the election campaign, Pathak was completely excluded from critical decision-making processes.
Sandeep Pathak gained prominence during the 2022 Punjab election campaign. From 2022 until the end of 2024, he was responsible for making major strategic decisions within AAP. However, he was later limited to overseeing Chhattisgarh, while Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were assigned significant responsibilities in Punjab, and Atishi in Goa, along with Gopal Rai and Durgesh Pathak in Gujarat.