Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak Quit AAP, Join BJP

In a significant political development on April 24, 2026, Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, and Sandeep Pathak officially announced their resignation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and their subsequent joining of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This move is being widely reported as a major blow to the AAP, considerably diminishing its numbers in the Rajya Sabha. The announcement was made at a press conference where Chadha, addressing the media alongside his colleagues, articulated the reasons behind their departure from AAP. He stated that the party, which he had nurtured for years, had fundamentally deviated from its core principles, values, and morals, and was no longer serving the country or the national interest but was instead acting for personal gain. Chadha famously remarked that he felt like the "right man in the wrong party" and that he was distancing himself from the Aam Aadmi Party. He also indicated that a substantial portion of AAP's Rajya Sabha MPs, specifically two-thirds, would exercise their constitutional rights to merge with the BJP. He expressed admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and the government's decisive actions, stating that he felt fortunate to work under Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. This development follows a period of internal friction within the AAP, particularly concerning Raghav Chadha. He had been removed from his post as the deputy leader of AAP in the Rajya Sabha in early April 2026, replaced by Ashok Mittal. Reports at the time suggested this was due to Chadha's prolonged absence from key party events and a perceived silence on sensitive issues, sparking speculation about internal rifts. While AAP leaders described the changes as routine restructuring and denied any rift, the BJP had then suggested Chadha was distancing himself from Arvind Kejriwal's leadership. Further fueling the speculation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had raided the residence of Ashok Mittal around mid-April 2026, with AAP alleging a conspiracy involving Raghav Chadha and the BJP. The BJP, in turn, dismissed these claims as baseless. The timing of the ED raid, shortly after Mittal replaced Chadha as Deputy Leader, was questioned by AAP leaders, who alleged it was an attempt to intimidate Mittal and was discussed as part of the BJP's Punjab election strategy. Raghav Chadha, a chartered accountant by profession, entered politics and became a prominent face of the AAP. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in 2022, becoming one of the youngest MPs in the Upper House at the age of 33. He was also previously a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Delhi and served as the vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board. Ashok Mittal, also a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, is the Founder Chancellor of Lovely Professional University (LPU). Sandeep Pathak, another Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, is known for his organizational skills and played a key role in AAP's 2022 Punjab election victory. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has post-doctoral research experience from Oxford and MIT. The departure of these three prominent MPs marks a significant shift in the political landscape and raises questions about the future trajectory of the Aam Aadmi Party, especially in the lead-up to future elections. The defection is likely to strengthen the BJP's position in the Rajya Sabha and influence political discourse at the national level. The article from Hindustan Times, the primary source, and corroborated by other news outlets like NDTV, The Indian Express, and India TV News, confirms the core claims of the defection and the date. The claims about Chadha's removal as deputy leader and the subsequent ED raid on Mittal provide context to the unfolding events. The news category is Politics, and the country is India.

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