In a major jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), senior leader Raghav Chadha on Friday quit the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that six other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs have also moved with him.
The development marks one of the biggest political setbacks for AAP in recent years, as Chadha was considered one of the party’s most recognisable young faces and a close aide of its top leadership.
Speaking after joining the BJP, Chadha said a large section of AAP’s Rajya Sabha members had lost confidence in the party’s direction and leadership. He said the decision to leave was taken after careful thought and claimed the group was exercising its rights under parliamentary rules.
The MPs said to have joined him include Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal. If the shift is formally completed, it would significantly reduce AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha.
For AAP, the blow is both political and symbolic. Many of its Rajya Sabha members were elected from Punjab, the only state where the party currently holds power. A reduced presence in Parliament could weaken AAP’s national voice at a crucial time.
The party reacted sharply, accusing the BJP of carrying out “Operation Lotus”, a phrase opposition parties often use to describe attempts to engineer defections in rival camps. AAP leaders said the BJP was trying to break opposition parties instead of fighting them politically.
Chadha, however, said he felt the party had moved away from the ideals on which it was founded. He also suggested that he had been sidelined internally and no longer saw a meaningful role for himself in the organisation.
Chadha’s entry in BJP at this crucial time of elections, is being seen as a high-profile political gain. Young, articulate and nationally known, he brings visibility as well as parliamentary experience.
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