The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered its biggest political earthquake to date. On April 24, 2026, Raghav Chadha joins BJP, taking a massive chunk of the party’s top leadership with him. Consequently, this unprecedented move has left the entire left-wing political ecosystem in complete shock. Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is now facing the total collapse of his party’s representation in the Upper House of Parliament.
How They Bypassed the Law
Many people are wondering how so many MPs changed parties without losing their seats. The answer lies in a constitutional masterstroke. To safely bypass the strict Anti-Defection Law, a minimum of two-thirds of a party’s elected members must merge together. Because AAP had exactly 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, Chadha successfully gathered seven leaders to make the legal switch. During a press conference, Chadha explicitly stated that they were exercising constitutional provisions to merge their faction directly into the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Top Leaders Who Left
The list of defecting leaders includes the most prominent faces of the AAP. Alongside Raghav Chadha, the MPs who officially joined the BJP are Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Vikram Sahney, and Rajendra Gupta. Notably, Sandeep Pathak was considered the core strategist for AAP, while Swati Maliwal had previously been highly critical of the AAP leadership following her assault allegations in 2024. Furthermore, Harbhajan Singh’s exit strips the AAP of its biggest celebrity face in Punjab.
“Right Man in the Wrong Party”
During the official announcement at the BJP headquarters in the presence of BJP leader Nitin Nabin, Chadha did not hold back. He openly accused the AAP leadership of abandoning its core values. Explaining exactly why Raghav Chadha joins BJP, he stated that the AAP had completely stepped away from honest politics. He famously declared, “I am the right man in the wrong party.” He further added that he did not want to be a part of the AAP’s alleged “crimes,” making it clear that the rift with Kejriwal was beyond repair.
A Fatal Blow to Arvind Kejriwal
Ultimately, this massive defection destroys the political image that the Aam Aadmi Party spent over a decade building. Arvind Kejriwal reacted briefly on social media, accusing the BJP of shoving Punjabis, while Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claimed the defecting MPs no longer represent the spirit of the state. However, the ground reality is undeniable. Because Raghav Chadha joins BJP with a supermajority of the AAP’s Rajya Sabha power, the so-called “honest politics” party has lost both its key strategists and its legislative strength in a single day.