CHANDIGARH: With less than a year left for the Assembly elections in Punjab, it will now be an uphill task for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as seven of its Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament on Friday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), merging with the saffron party to ensure retention of their membership in the Upper House.
The exit of these leaders from the party will have far-reaching ramifications for the ruling AAP in Punjab, which is already facing strong anti-incumbency due to its “non-performance” in governance.
The government is also in the dock over a deteriorating law and order situation, including rising crime and an alleged failure to control drugs, with a major question mark being raised over its overall performance.
The exit of these AAP MPs could alter political equations, potentially benefiting the BJP in the state as it looks to expand its footprint ahead of the Assembly elections due in early 2027.
These resignations might create new openings for the saffron party, which it can strategically exploit, especially as it prepares to contest Punjab on its own, though this may not translate into a direct vote bank transfer.
Talking to this newspaper, leading political expert Dr Jagrup Singh Sekhon said, “It was going to happen as it was on the cards for some time now, as it was a serious structural flaw in the very organisation of this party, the over-centralisation of Kejriwal and his associates, the final nail in the coffin. The party will disappear from the political map of the country in the coming times."
"The problem in this party is that everything revolves around Kejriwal, which is not desirable in a political setup. It is not just that the MPs have left the party, but in the coming days, there is likely to be a vertical split in the party in Punjab also, as this government may face a major challenge to complete its full tenure, as there is a possibility that a substantial number of MLAs might quit.”
Sources said that the BJP, in the coming months, might target the ruling AAP, taking a key attack line in the upcoming election campaign by projecting the party as unstable and internally divided.
The strength of AAP in Punjab was built on centralised leadership, strong messaging, and a perception of cohesion, but these exits are likely to puncture that image.
Another political analyst, Kuldip Singh, said that this is a big setback for the ruling AAP and virtually an existential threat to the party, likely to have serious repercussions not only in Punjab but also at the national level.
“In the coming months, there is a likelihood of a similar split among the state MLAs, as a major faction of legislators might shift sides. The prime reason is that party leaders do not find any future in the party, who opts to swim in a sinking ship. In one state it is out of power, that is Delhi, and in another state the AAP is set to go, that is Punjab, as it will lose the upcoming Assembly elections,” he said.
Both Sekhon and Singh added that the deteriorating law and order situation and “non-performance” in governance are key factors behind the current developments.
Sources said that the saffron party needs recognisable faces and leaders with governance exposure, as the state unit of the BJP has historically lacked this depth.
These developments could strengthen its state-level leadership and help build a more competitive organisational structure.
The BJP’s national president had only yesterday announced that the party will contest Punjab alone, a declaration of intent signalling both confidence and a strategic decision to occupy the anti-AAP space outright rather than share it with allies.
Sources further said that the defections of the seven MPs were due to two major reasons, as they were allegedly gradually alienated and sidelined, while old workers were totally “ignored”.
The first MP to be isolated was Swati Maliwal, following her public and acrimonious fallout with the party leadership, though she continued as a Rajya Sabha MP of AAP.
Maliwal had alleged that she was assaulted when she visited Kejriwal’s residence during his incarceration. In that episode, Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Kejriwal, and close aide Bibhav Kumar were also allegedly involved. Sunita Kejriwal had reportedly been handling party affairs.
Then it was the turn of Sandeep Pathak, a former AAP in-charge for Punjab and Gujarat, who is also learnt to have been gradually alienated within party ranks, especially after the return of Kejriwal and his close aides, including Manish Sisodia, from jail.
The latest MP to be sidelined was Raghav Chadha, who was removed as Deputy Leader of AAP in the Rajya Sabha, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on another party MP, Ashok Mittal, who replaced Chadha. Mittal is the founder chancellor of Lovely Professional University.
Other MPs who joined the saffron party include industrialists Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Sahney, and cricketer-turned-politician Harbhajan Singh.