Influential Aam Aadmi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has announced his departure from the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. Chadha stated that he had dedicated 15 years of hard work to AAP, but the party now operates solely out of personal interests, prompting his exit. In total, seven MPs, including Chadha, have decided to leave AAP and join BJP. There is ongoing speculation about Chadha potentially being appointed to a ministerial position. The announcement was made on April 24 in Kathmandu.
On Friday, Chadha held a joint press conference with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, revealing that two-thirds of the AAP members in the Rajya Sabha are set to merge with BJP under constitutional provisions. Earlier this month, internal party tensions surfaced publicly after AAP removed Chadha from the Deputy Leader position in the Rajya Sabha and appointed Ashok Kumar Mittal in his place.
Expressing strong dissatisfaction with the party’s decisions, Chadha questioned how raising issues of public interest had caused harm to the party. During the press briefing, he said, “I have poured my sweat and blood into this party for 15 years, but now it has completely deviated from its principles and ethical values. This party no longer works for national interests but for personal gains.”
The seven MPs leaving AAP to join BJP are Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajendra Gupta, and Vikram Sahni. Chadha, who previously expressed feeling like the ‘right person in the wrong party,’ now says he has chosen a new path to serve the public. This development is considered a significant setback for AAP and a notable turning point in Indian politics. Following their alliance with BJP, discussions have already begun about Chadha’s possible ministerial appointment.
