Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha formally joins BJP along with six other AAP rebels

New Delhi: Shortly after leaving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha met BJP National President Nitin Nabin at the latter's office in Delhi on Friday and formally accepted the saffron party's membership. Along with Raghav Chadha, six other Rajya Sabha MPs have also left the AAP to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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 addition to Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal have also left the Aam Aadmi Party. The biggest shock for AAP is that Ashok Mittal—who had been appointed Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha—has also defected to the BJP. Furthermore, Sandeep Pathak—the party's Organizational General Secretary and currently Arvind Kejriwal's chief strategist—has also left the party to join the BJP.

What did Raghav Chadha say?

Earlier, Raghav Chadha announced that he, along with two-thirds of the Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MPs, would be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. This move is being viewed as a major blow to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal; furthermore, this development has unfolded just weeks after reports surfaced regarding the alleged diminishing of his stature within the party.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Chadha said, "We have decided that we—constituting two-thirds of AAP's members in the Rajya Sabha—will merge ourselves with the BJP by invoking the provisions of the Constitution of India."

Why did Raghav Chadha leave the Aam Aadmi Party?

Addressing the media, Raghav Chadha noted that prior to entering 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 collective resolve to create a corruption-free India."

The MP further added, "I was a founding member of this party, and perhaps no one knows it better than I do. With absolute commitment and dedication, we collectively built the party in Delhi. We established it in Punjab and strove to expand its footprint across other states."

"However, today—with deep sorrow, anguish, and shame—I must state that this very party, originally formed with the resolve to eradicate corruption, has now fallen captive to the clutches of corrupt 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 already left the party or is departing, one by one."