The move is expected to weaken AAP, especially among urban, educated voters, while potentially benefiting the BJP in the upcoming Punjab elections.
Photo : ANI
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a major setback on Friday after its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, who was removed as the party’s deputy leader in the Upper House earlier, joined the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Chadha, while addressing a presser in the national capital, formalised a split that had been building for weeks, announcing that two-thirds of the party’s Rajya Sabha members would merge with the BJP. The move triggered furious reactions from AAP leaders while drawing a warm welcome from the BJP.
While the likely disqualification petitions against the departing MPs may take time to resolve, the bigger issue about whether the claimed “merger” is legally valid, will continue to hang over Punjab politics. The immediate political impact, however, is clearer.
Raghav Chadha’s exit, along with Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Vikram Sahney and Rajinder Gupta, comes at a sensitive time for the Aam Aadmi Party.
The resignations followed AAP’s allegation that the Bharatiya Janata Party was attempting to engineer a split in its Punjab unit, even naming Chadha in an alleged deal narrative. Meanwhile, BJP has made it clear it plans to contest the 2027 Punjab elections on its own, signalling a shift toward expansion.
Chadha exit adds new twist to Punjab’s multi-cornered fight
Electorally, these exits may not result in a direct vote transfer to BJP. But they can weaken AAP in ways that matter. Punjab is a multi-cornered contest involving AAP, Indian National Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP. If AAP’s base fragments, its votes are more likely to scatter across parties rather than consolidate behind a single rival, and even small shifts can influence tight contests.
This is where the Chadha factor becomes significant. Chadha’s political appeal has been strongest among urban, educated, and younger voters, segments where BJP has historically had more traction than in rural Punjab. His departure weakens AAP’s grip over this voter base and opens up space for BJP to make inroads into urban constituencies.
At the same time, leadership churn within AAP creates an opportunity for BJP to attract defectors, strengthen its local leadership, and build a more competitive organisational structure in the state. If the party is serious about expanding independently in Punjab, even incremental gains from such shifts could translate into tangible electoral advantages.
