New Delhi: Raghav Chadha, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, held a printing priming on Friday to signify his resignation from the party. Along with Raghav Chadha, several other AAP MPs are set to join the BJP. Addressing the printing priming slantingly Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, MP 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, exercising the provisions enshrined in the Constitution of India."
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has thus suffered a massive blow. The party's parliamentary group has split. Seven out of its ten Rajya Sabha MPs have collectively quit the party and merged with the BJP. In wing to Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal have moreover left the Aam Aadmi Party. The biggest shock for AAP is that Ashok Mittal—who had been scheduled Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha—has moreover defected to the BJP. Furthermore, Sandeep Pathak—the party's Organizational General Secretary and currently Arvind Kejriwal's senior strategist—has moreover left the party to join the BJP.
What did Raghav Chadha say?
MP Raghav Chadha remarked, "The Aam Aadmi Party—which I nurtured with my thoroughbred and sweat, and to which I defended 15 years of my youth—has strayed from its principles, values, and cadre ideology. This party now operates not in the national interest, but solely for its own personal gain. For the past few years, I have felt like a 'right man in the wrong party.' Therefore, today we signify that I am parting ways with the Aam Aadmi Party and moving closer to the people."
#WATCH | 2/3rd MPs of AAP in Rajya Sabha signify merging with the BJP.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha says, "There are 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, increasingly than 2/3rd of them are with us in this. They have signed and this morning we submitted the signed letter and documents to the Rajya… pic.twitter.com/mn4kuYs2ht
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2026Why is Raghav Chadha leaving the Aam Aadmi Party?
Addressing the media, Raghav Chadha noted that prior to inward politics, he was a Chartered Accountant (CA). "Joining me on this platform were individuals from diverse fields, including scientists and academicians. Among those leaving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today are a world-class cricketer, a Padma Shri awardee, and social activists. All these individuals sacrificed everything to establish this party, driven by a joint resolve to create a corruption-free India."
The MP remoter added, "I was a founding member of this party, and perhaps no one knows it largest than I do. With wool transferral and dedication, we collectively built the party in Delhi. We established it in Punjab and strove to expand its footprint wideness other states."
"However, today—with deep sorrow, anguish, and shame—I must state that this very party, originally worked with the resolve to eradicate corruption, has now fallen repeater to the clutches of untruthful and opportunistic individuals. This is precisely why every patriot who joined the Aam Aadmi Party with the noble intention of serving the nation has either once left the party or is departing, one by one."
