In a major political development, the Rajya Sabha Chairman has accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Members of Parliament (MPs) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), significantly changing the balance of power in the Upper House.
The decision formally recognises that seven of AAP’s ten Rajya Sabha MPs have aligned with the BJP parliamentary party. With this, AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha has dropped to just three members, while the BJP’s numbers have increased to 113, further strengthening the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The MPs involved in the move include senior leaders such as Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Rajinder Gupta. The group had reportedly written to the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking recognition of their decision under constitutional provisions that allow a two-thirds group of legislators to merge with another party without facing disqualification.
The Chairman’s acceptance of the merger has now given it formal parliamentary recognition, making the shift official within the Upper House records.
However, the move has triggered a sharp political reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party. The party has strongly opposed the decision, calling it “unconstitutional” and alleging that such a merger cannot be valid without the consent of the original political party. AAP leaders have also indicated that they may challenge the decision, arguing that it violates the spirit of anti-defection rules.
