RS Chairman Clears 7 AAP MPs’ Merger with BJP

C. P. Radhakrishnan, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, formally approved on Monday (April 27, 2026) the merger of seven Members of Parliament from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), giving official recognition to a major political shift in the Upper House.

The development follows a dramatic move on April 24, 2026, when seven of AAP’s ten Rajya Sabha MPs broke away from the party and aligned themselves with the BJP. The decision significantly altered the political composition of the Rajya Sabha and marked one of the biggest recent setbacks for the AAP at the national level.

The MPs who defected include Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajendra Gupta, and Vikramjit Singh Sahney, all of whom submitted their support for the merger with the ruling party.

This large-scale defection has sharply reduced the AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha, weakened its influence in parliamentary proceedings, and diminished its ability to effectively challenge the ruling alliance in the Upper House.

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7 AAP MPs Join BJP, Big Blow to Party

Responding to the development, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal strongly criticized the BJP, accusing it of engineering the split and undermining democratic principles. He alleged that the move reflected a pattern of political maneuvering aimed at destabilizing opposition parties.

In a post on X, Kejriwal said that the BJP had once again betrayed the people of Punjab, suggesting that the defection did not reflect the public mandate and instead served political interests.

The AAP leadership further alleged that the BJP executed “Operation Lotus” and claimed that the strategy aimed to weaken opposition governments and disrupt governance in states where the BJP is not in power.

According to the party, the move specifically aimed to hinder the functioning of the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, which AAP says is implementing pro-people policies and welfare measures.

The merger not only highlights the intensifying political contest between the BJP and AAP but also signals a broader realignment in national politics, with potential implications for future parliamentary dynamics and state-level governance.

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