New Delhi/Chandigarh, April 24: The Aam Aadmi Party faced a significant leadership crisis Friday as veteran leaders Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. The move, announced during a press conference in New Delhi, involves a total of seven out of the party’s 10 Rajya Sabha members, a figure that meets the two-thirds constitutional threshold for a legal party merger or split.
Raghav Chadha, who previously served as a primary strategist for AAP in Punjab and Delhi, affirmed that he has submitted the necessary documentation to Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan. He declared that the group of defectors includes prominent figures such as Harbhajan Singh, Vikram Sahni, Swati Maliwal, and Rajendra Gupta. Chadha maintained that the transition was conducted in accordance with parliamentary regulations to ensure the move is legally valid.
The defection follows a period of visible friction between Chadha and the AAP leadership. Records show that the party removed Chadha from his position as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha on April 3. Observers stated that Chadha had maintained a noticeable distance from party activities following the 2024 legal challenges faced by the AAP top brass, including his absence from recent major rallies at Jantar Mantar.
Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, who were present at the announcement, affirmed that the shift would strengthen the BJP’s prospects in the upcoming Punjab state elections. While Chadha affirmed the group’s readiness to work under a new banner, the remaining AAP leadership in Punjab asserted that the defections were the result of pressure from central enforcement agencies. Officials noted that the Enforcement Directorate had recently conducted searches at properties belonging to Ashok Mittal just days prior to the announcement.
