Raghav Chadha Leads Mass Exit from AAP, Announces Merger of Rajya Sabha MPs with BJP

New Delhi, April 2026 : In a major political development, Raghav Chadha on Friday announced that two-thirds of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members in the Rajya Sabha would merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), citing growing dissatisfaction and lack of space to function within his party.

Addressing a press conference alongside fellow AAP MPs Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak, Chadha said that 7 out of the 10 AAP members in the Upper House had decided to invoke constitutional provisions to formally merge with the BJP.

“We have decided that we, the two-thirds members belonging to AAP in the Rajya Sabha, will merge ourselves with the BJP,” he said, describing the move as both constitutional and necessary.

Chadha, who has been a prominent face of AAP and a close associate of party chief Arvind Kejriwal, said he felt increasingly constrained within the party he helped build over the past decade. “I gave 15 years of my life to AAP. But today, the party has moved away from honest politics. I am the right man in the wrong party,” he remarked, adding that he now wants to be “closer to the people.”

Among those joining him in the move are Rajya Sabha MPs such as Harbhajan Singh and Swati Maliwal, indicating a significant split within the party’s parliamentary wing.

The development comes shortly after Chadha was removed from the post of Deputy Leader of AAP in the Rajya Sabha, reportedly for not aggressively raising key issues against the government. Notably, Ashok Mittal, who was appointed to replace him, has also joined the group defecting to the BJP, further underscoring the scale of the internal rift.

Responding to criticism over his parliamentary performance, Chadha released a video showcasing his contributions in the Rajya Sabha. In the video, he highlighted his interventions on a range of public issues, including data expiry policies, the need for legal recognition of paternity leave, and the removal of minimum balance penalties in banks.

He also raised concerns on broader consumer and economic matters such as food adulteration, charges on incoming calls, alleged discrepancies in 28-day recharge cycles, taxation issues, and airline baggage fees.

“With respect to those questioning my parliamentary performance, I’ll let my work do the talking,” Chadha said, defending his record.

The move marks a significant political shift and could have far-reaching implications for AAP’s presence in the Rajya Sabha, as well as the broader political landscape ahead of upcoming electoral contests.