2 min readNew DelhiApr 24, 2026 10:31 PM IST
Hours after Raghav Chadha and several other Rajya Sabha MPs resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party and announced their decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said he would write to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha seeking their disqualification.
In his statement, Singh argued that their move to join another party amounts to voluntarily relinquishing membership of their original party under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
The development follows a major political setback for AAP, with seven of its Rajya Sabha MPs resigning from the party. Addressing a press conference, Chadha, flanked by Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, said that more than two-thirds of the party’s Upper House MPs had quit and would join the BJP as a faction.
Chadha stated that fellow MPs Harbhajan Singh and Swati Maliwal were also among those leaving the party. He added that all necessary documentation, including signed letters, had already been submitted to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.
“In the Rajya Sabha, the Aam Aadmi Party has 10 MPs. More than two-thirds of them are with us in this initiative,” Chadha said, asserting that procedural formalities had been completed earlier in the day.
Rebel leaders cite ‘deviation from core principles’
Explaining his decision, Chadha said the party had “completely strayed from its principles, values and core morals,” adding that despite dedicating 15 years to the organisation, he now believed he was “the right person in the wrong party.”
Pathak also confirmed his departure, stating that although he had been associated with the party for 10 years, he felt compelled to step away under the current circumstances.
Story continues below this ad
The internal shift comes shortly after organisational changes in the Rajya Sabha, where Chadha was removed as AAP’s deputy leader and replaced by Mittal.
