Overview
- Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal announced the move at a Delhi press conference Friday, then joined the BJP at its headquarters after saying seven of AAP’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs had signed to merge.
- Of the four others Chadha named — Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal — only Sahney and Maliwal publicly said they left AAP, and none of the four appeared at the BJP induction.
- AAP accused the BJP of poaching under “Operation Lotus” and said it will ask the Rajya Sabha chairman to disqualify defectors, with party functionaries preparing complaints against the three who joined publicly and leaders also calling for action against all seven.
- The defectors cited the Constitution’s two‑thirds merger rule, which can protect members from anti‑defection penalties, and the chairman must now determine whether a lawful group merger has occurred.
- BJP leaders framed the exits as growing trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the stakes are highest in Punjab where most departing MPs are based and where the ruling AAP faces a 2027 election after months of internal rifts and ED raids cited by rivals as context.