Raghav Chadha, along with 6 other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs, has resigned from the party, announcing a merger with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move comes days after the AAP removed him as the deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha.
Addressing a press conference with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, AAP MP Raghav Chadha said, “The AAP, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat and gave 15 years of my youth to, has deviated from its principles, values and core morals. Now this party does not work in the interest of the nation but for its personal benefits…For the past few years, I could feel that I am the right man in the wrong party. So, today, we announce that I am distancing myself from the AAP and getting close to public."
Six other party leaders, including Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Vikram Sahney, and Rajinder Gupta, also resigned from AAP.
Addressing the media, Sandeep Pathak said he had “always kept the party and Arvind Kejriwal first," adding that “politics is worship" for him and that he has “always kept the country first."
Earlier this month, the Aam Aadmi Party formally notified the Rajya Sabha Secretariat that Raghav Chadha had been removed as the party’s Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha. The party also requested that he not be allotted time to speak in the House. AAP had 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
Recently, Chadha has appeared increasingly distanced from the party’s core agenda following AAP’s defeat in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. Instead, he has focused on broader public-interest issues, including advocating for paid paternity leave and highlighting high food prices at airports.
He has also raised concerns about the rights of gig workers and worsening traffic conditions in major Indian cities. Additionally, he brought attention to menstrual hygiene in Parliament, calling it a matter of health, education and equality. His reduced engagement with key party issues fuelled speculation about a possible exit, particularly after he was left out of AAP’s list of star campaigners for the Assam elections.
In the first reaction after Raghav Chadha and six other MPs’ resignation from AAP, former Delhi Chief Minister and party convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that “BJP has once again given Punjabis a shove."
“The BJP has once again given Punjabis a shove," Kejriwal wrote on X.
Launching a scathing attack at Chadha, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the Aam Aadmi Party had made Chadha an MLA and later elevated him to a Member of Parliament, adding that the party had “given him a lot."
He further said that Chadha “already settled comfortably" in the BJP.
The remarks come amid growing speculation around Chadha’s political future, following recent tensions within the party and his apparent distance from its leadership.
Taking a broader swipe, Singh said, “Look at the history of Rajender Gupta, Ashok Mittal and Swati Maliwal—the party did a lot for them." He further alleged that “all these MPs have betrayed the Punjab government and its people," adding that “the people of Punjab will never forgive them."
The remarks come amid growing speculation around Chadha’s political future, following recent tensions within the party and his apparent distance from its leadership.
Source: News18