Seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha Members Join Bharatiya Janata Party

Apr 26, 2026, 20:51

Introduction

Seven members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Rajya Sabha, including six from Punjab, have announced they are joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This move has caused a legal dispute regarding anti-defection laws and has led to internal reviews within the AAP's Punjab organization.

Main Body

The group, led by Raghav Chadha, includes Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney, and Swati Maliwal. These members asserted that their move is legal under the Tenth Schedule, which allows a merger if two-thirds of a party's legislators agree. They claimed that the party had moved away from its core principles and that they lacked internal support. Specifically, Sahney emphasized that Chadha and Pathak were ignored professionally after the 2025 Delhi assembly elections and after Chadha was removed as the party's deputy leader in the Upper House. In contrast, AAP leadership criticized the merger as a betrayal of the voters. MP Sanjay Singh has asked the Rajya Sabha Chairman to disqualify the seven members, arguing that they violated the law. This position is supported by legal experts, including Kapil Sibal. Furthermore, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann requested a meeting with the President to remove the MPs, although legal analysts noted that the Indian Constitution does not have a 'recall' mechanism. Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) dismissed these efforts as political theater, stating that the two-thirds rule protects the members from being disqualified. Following these departures, the internal situation in Punjab has been closely examined. Balbir Singh Seechewal, the only remaining AAP Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, claimed that Chadha and Pathak had too much power, which limited other members' roles. He also mentioned that he refused an invitation to join a separate group before the merger. As a result, the AAP Punjab unit is now contacting its MLAs to prevent more members from leaving and is considering a more decentralized way of making decisions to address complaints about power being concentrated in Delhi.

Conclusion

The Aam Aadmi Party now has fewer members in the Rajya Sabha and is working to stabilize its organization in Punjab before the next elections. The legal status of the merger will ultimately be decided by the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

Vocabulary Learning

concentrated (adj.)

brought together into a single place or group集中的

Example:The power was concentrated in the hands of a few leaders.

decentralized (adj.)

distributed over a wide area rather than concentrated in one place分散的

Example:The company adopted a decentralized decision‑making process.

disqualify (v.)

to make someone ineligible for a position or role取消資格

Example:The new law will disqualify any candidate who has committed fraud.

merger (n.)

the act of combining two or more organizations into one合併

Example:The merger of the two companies was completed last month.

stabilize (v.)

to make something steady or less likely to change穩定

Example:The government took measures to stabilize the economy.

Sentence Learning

These members asserted that their move is legal under the Tenth Schedule, which allows a merger if two-thirds of a party's legislators agree.

Relative Clause: The clause 'which allows a merger if two-thirds of a party's legislators agree' adds extra information about the Tenth Schedule, explaining the condition for a merger.關係子句: 這個子句為『第十章程』提供額外資訊，說明若黨內兩三分之二立法委員同意，即可合併。

Sahney emphasized that Chadha and Pathak were ignored professionally after the 2025 Delhi assembly elections and after Chadha was removed as the party's deputy leader in the Upper House.

Adverbial Clause of Time: The clauses 'after the 2025 Delhi assembly elections' and 'after Chadha was removed as the party's deputy leader in the Upper House' function as adverbial clauses indicating when the ignoring occurred.時間狀語從句: 這兩個從句說明忽視行為發生的時間，即在2025年德里選舉後以及在Chadha被免去上院副領導職位後。

The legal status of the merger will ultimately be decided by the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

Passive Voice: The sentence uses passive construction 'will ultimately be decided by the Rajya Sabha Chairman', showing that the action (deciding) is performed by someone (Chairman) on the subject (legal status).被動語態: 這句使用被動語態 '將最終由參議院主席決定'，表示決定這一行動由主席執行。

In contrast, AAP leadership criticized the merger as a betrayal of the voters.

Contrast Conjunction: The phrase 'In contrast' introduces a sentence that contrasts the previous statement, indicating a different viewpoint.對比連詞: 'In contrast' 引入與前句對比的句子，表示不同的觀點。

As a result, the AAP Punjab unit is now contacting its MLAs to prevent more members from leaving and is considering a more decentralized way of making decisions to address complaints about power being concentrated in Delhi.

Cause-Effect Conjunction: The phrase 'As a result' links the preceding events to the following actions, showing that the actions are a consequence.因果連詞: 'As a result' 將前面的事件與後面的行動連接，表示後者是前者的結果。