Raghav Chadha's First Visit to Punjab Post-AAP Departure

Raghav Chadha's Significant Punjab Visit

On Monday, Raghav Chadha, a member of the Rajya Sabha, made his first trip to Punjab since leaving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in April. During his visit, he participated in a crucial meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Ludhiana, which was chaired by the party's national president, Nitin Nabin. The primary aim of this gathering was to strategize for the upcoming 2027 assembly elections.

Chadha was joined by fellow MP Rajinder Gupta, who also transitioned from AAP to BJP. Their presence at the meeting is being interpreted as a significant political development, suggesting that they may be assigned important roles within the party as elections approach. According to sources within the party, Nabin urged the leaders and MPs present to focus on grassroots efforts.

A senior BJP leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, indicated that with the 2027 elections in mind, newly joined MPs might be entrusted with key responsibilities related to the electoral process.

In addition to Chadha and Gupta, five other Rajya Sabha members from AAP—Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, and Vikramjeet Sahni—also decided to leave the party and join BJP in April. Except for Swati Maliwal, the remaining six MPs represent Punjab in the upper house.

After departing from AAP, Chadha took to social media to explain his resignation, claiming that the party environment had become "toxic." He expressed that joining the BJP would enable him to work more effectively on issues he supports.

Since seven out of ten Rajya Sabha MPs from AAP left the party together, they are not disqualified under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, commonly known as the anti-defection law. If Raghav Chadha or any other MP had acted alone, they would risk losing their Rajya Sabha seat under this law. However, this rule does not apply here as two-thirds of a legislative party's members merged with another party.