Amit Shah Reacts to AAP Split as Raghav Chadha Leads Rajya Sabha MPs into BJP Fold

New Delhi, April 2026 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the decision by a group of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MPs, led by Raghav Chadha, to part ways with their party was based on reasons articulated by the leaders themselves.

Shah’s remarks came during an election rally in West Bengal, coinciding with Chadha’s formal announcement of his exit from AAP and his move to merge a breakaway faction of MPs with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Soon after making the announcement, Chadha, accompanied by fellow MPs Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, visited the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. The group met BJP national president Nitin Nabin, who welcomed them and marked the occasion by offering sweets after their decision to switch sides was made public.

Chadha had earlier cited ideological differences and a perceived shift in AAP’s core values as key reasons for the split. In a message posted on X, he said that more than two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs—seven out of ten—had signed documents to merge with the BJP under constitutional provisions, and the same had been submitted to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

“Today, exercising the provisions of the Constitution of India, more than two-thirds of the AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha have merged with the BJP,” Chadha stated, adding that he personally handed over the signed documents along with two other MPs.

At a press conference held earlier in the day, Chadha reiterated his stance, saying the decision was taken collectively by the group. “We have decided that we, the two-thirds members belonging to AAP in the Rajya Sabha, will merge ourselves with the BJP,” he said.

Reflecting on his journey, Chadha expressed disappointment with the party he helped build. “I gave 15 years of my life to AAP. Now the party has stepped away from honest politics. I am the right man in the wrong party,” he remarked, adding that his decision was driven by a desire to reconnect with people.

He also indicated that other prominent MPs, including Harbhajan Singh and Swati Maliwal, were part of the group leaving AAP.

The development marks a significant shift in the political landscape, weakening AAP’s presence in the Rajya Sabha while strengthening the BJP’s position in the Upper House.