In a transformative shift for the Upper House, Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan has formally accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The decision, announced on Monday, effectively decimates the AAP's strength in the Rajya Sabha from ten members to just three, while propelling the BJP’s individual tally to a dominant 113.
The move was spearheaded by high-profile leaders Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal, who personally met BJP President Nitin Nabin to formalize their entry into the party. The group, which also includes former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Rajinder Gupta, cited "suffocation" and a departure from the party’s founding anti-corruption principles as reasons for their exit. By reaching the seven-member threshold, the group claims to fulfill the two-thirds requirement under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, a legal maneuver designed to bypass disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law.
The Aam Aadmi Party has launched a fierce political counter-attack, filing a formal petition before the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking the immediate disqualification of all seven defectors. Senior leader Sanjay Singh described the merger as a "constitutional fraud" and a "betrayal of the mandate of Punjab," alleging that the BJP utilized central agencies to coerce the MPs.
AAP has argued that a legislative merger cannot be recognised without the consent of the original political party, and that the claim of merger by the legislative wing alone is legally unsustainable. The party has indicated it may challenge the matter before the Supreme Court.
The merger fundamentally alters the legislative math in the 245-member Rajya Sabha. With the BJP now at 113 and the broader NDA bloc reaching 141, the government is significantly closer to a simple majority on its own. For the AAP, the loss of its most prominent national faces, including the architects of its Punjab victory, marks its most severe institutional crisis to date, leaving only Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta, and Balbir Singh Seechewal to represent the party in the Upper House.
Meanwhile, sources in the Aam Aadmi Party said that MLAs from Ferozepur, Patiala and Ropar who were given tickets by Raghav Chadha or Sandeep Pathak for the 2022 Assembly elections are being closely watched by the party high command, with their daily meetings under monitoring.
These MLAs are scheduled to meet the top party leadership, including Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia, on Wednesday. They will be briefed on the way forward and on maintaining unity within the party cadre.
Since Pathak played a key role in building the party cadre from scratch and has remained in touch with office bearers, Sisodia is expected to brief the legislators accordingly.
"A few of us have been asked to stay in touch with these MLA who are close to Chadha and Pathak and closely watch where they are going and who they are meeting. Any movement out of the state will be reported," said an AAP MLA on condition of anonymity. The MLA added that all efforts are now underway to save the party organisation.
(With inputs from Harpreet Bajwa)