Big blow to AAP as Raghav Chadha, 6 other Rajya Sabha MPs join BJP

In a major blow to the Aam Aadmi Party, seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal, joined the BJP. Chadha cited AAP's deviation from its core principles as the reason for the split.

BJP National President Nitin Nabin met and welcomed the Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal at the BJP Headquarters in Delhi after they joined the Bhartiya Janata Party. Taking it to X, Nabin on Friday extended warm wishes to all seven Members of the Parliament, encouraging them to work towards achieving the goal of "Viksit Bharat by 2047." "Welcomed Raghav Chadha Ji, Sandeep Pathak Ji, and Ashok Mittal Ji to the BJP family at the Party HQ today. Also, best wishes to Harbhajan Singh Ji, Swati Maliwal Ji, Vikram Sahney Ji, and Rajinder Gupta Ji to work under the dynamic leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji towards the goal of #ViksitBharat2047," he wrote.

AAP Suffers Major Setback

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a major setback after its Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, who was removed as the party's deputy leader in Rajya Sabha earlier, joined the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. Chadha, while addressing a presser in the national capital, formalised a split that had been building for weeks, announcing that two-thirds of the party's Upper House members would merge with the BJP. The move triggered furious reactions from AAP leaders while drawing a warm welcome from the BJP. The trio MPs -- Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal -- announced a split in the party and joined the BJP later in the presence of party chief Nitin Nabin, who welcomed the decision.

'Right Man in the Wrong Party': Raghav Chadha

While announcing the merger during a press conference, Raghav Chadha framed the decision as a matter of conscience, stating, "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 closer to the public."

"There are 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, more than 2/3rd of them are with us in this. They have signed, and this morning we submitted the signed letter and documents to the Rajya Sabha Chairman...three of them are here before you. Besides us, there are Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal," he added.

BJP Welcomes Split

The BJP welcomed the split with open arms and turned it into an attack against Kejriwal as Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said the move was natural. (ANI)

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