Anatomy Of A Rebellion: How Raghav Chadha Led AAP Exodus

On Friday, the break became public. Chadha, flanked by Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, held a press conference announcing their departure from AAP and alignment with the BJP. Chadha claimed that more than two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs were with them and that signed letters and other required paperwork had been submitted to Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan. The BJP welcomed the MPs, with party president Nitin Nabin praising Chadha, Pathak, and Mittal and wishing the others well under Modi’s leadership toward Viksit Bharat 2047. The seven MPs are Chadha (Punjab), Sandeep Pathak (Punjab), Swati Maliwal (Punjab), Ashok Mittal (Punjab), Vikramjeet Sahni (Punjab), Rajendra Gupta (Punjab), and Harbhajan Singh (Delhi). Some MPs were absent due to prior commitments or travel, but Chadha stated all seven had formally endorsed the move. The group will formally join BJP after Rajya Sabha Chairman ratifies the documents.

The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at premises linked to Ashok Mittal in Punjab as part of a FEMA investigation. The raids added regulatory scrutiny to some of the business-linked MPs in the group.

Following his removal, Chadha began reaching out to fellow AAP MPs to gauge dissatisfaction levels and test the viability of a coordinated departure from the party.

The AAP leadership removed Raghav Chadha from his position as Deputy Leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha, signaling formal distancing between Chadha and party leadership led by Arvind Kejriwal and suggesting a widening rift that had been developing over time.