Major Split in Aam Aadmi Party's Parliamentary Wing: Raghav Chadha Announces—He Will Join BJP, Two-Thirds of MPs to Switch Sides.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and MP Raghav Chadha announced his resignation from the party on Friday. Simultaneously, he also declared his intention to join the BJP. Apart from Raghav, Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak have also joined the BJP fold.

Merger with the BJP

Addressing a press conference alongside Rajya Sabha MPs Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Raghav Chadha stated, “We have decided that we—two-thirds of the Aam Aadmi Party’s members in the Rajya Sabha—will merge with the BJP by exercising the provisions of the Constitution of India.” Furthermore, he revealed that Swati Maliwal and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh would also be joining the BJP.

‘The Right Man in the Wrong Party’

Raghav Chadha remarked that he had nurtured the party with his “blood and sweat,” dedicating 15 years of his youth to it. According to him, the party has now completely strayed from its principles, values, and core ethics. He alleged that the party is no longer working for the country or the national interest; rather, it is operating solely for personal gain. Chadha felt that he was “the right man in the wrong party.”

“My Goal is to Do Something Significant for the Country” — Sandeep Pathak

Speaking on the occasion, Sandeep Pathak said, “Never in my life did I imagine that such a situation would arise—yet here it is. I come from a farming family and pursued my education. I entered politics with the sole objective of doing something significant for the country. I joined the Aam Aadmi Party with the specific aim of serving the nation.”

How ​​Relations Deteriorated

In reality, signs of a rift between Kejriwal and Raghav Chadha began to surface the very day Kejriwal was jailed, while Raghav was uploading photos on social media—showing him vacationing and having a good time in London with his wife, Parineeti. Raghav was also kept sidelined from Punjab during the Lok Sabha elections; his only formal appearance was in connection with the Sri Anandpur Sahib constituency.

Political analysts believe that, for some time now, Raghav Chadha had appeared relatively silent on key party issues.

Meanwhile, the opposition is interpreting this development as a sign of internal discord within the AAP. Meanwhile, senior party leader Sanjay Singh and new deputy leader Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal have termed this a routine organizational process, aimed at assigning responsibilities to other MPs as well.