Raghav Chadha Quits AAP, Set to Join BJP; Claims 2/3rd of RS MPs Will Merge

Days after a public fallout with the Aam Aadmi Party over his removal as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, MP Raghav Chadha on Friday announced he will quit the party led by Arvind Kejriwal and join the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Chadha said that two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs have decided to invoke constitutional provisions to merge with the BJP. “We, the two-thirds members belonging to the AAP in the Rajya Sabha, have decided to exercise constitutional provisions and merge with the BJP,” he said.

Rajya Sabha MPs Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal also announced their exit from AAP and confirmed they would join the BJP. Chadha further claimed that leaders such as Swati Maliwal and Harbhajan Singh are among those expected to make the switch.

Explaining his decision, Chadha said the party he had “nurtured with blood and sweat” had drifted away from its founding ideals.

“The AAP, to which I gave 15 years of my life, has deviated from its principles, values and core morals. It no longer works in the interest of the nation but for personal gains. For years, I felt I was the right person in the wrong party. Today, I am distancing myself from the AAP and moving closer to the people,” he said.

The development comes amid escalating tensions within AAP following Chadha’s removal from a key parliamentary post, marking one of the most significant internal crises in the party’s leadership in recent years.