Raghav Chadha and 6 AAP MPs Merge With BJP in Historic Rajya Sabha Shake-Up
In one of the most dramatic political realignments of 2026, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on 24 April announced that seven Aam Aadmi Party members of the Upper House — more than two-thirds of the party’s 10-member contingent — had formally merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The move, executed under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, ensures that none of the defecting MPs face disqualification from Parliament.
Apart from Chadha, the six other MPs who signed the merger petition include Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal. The signed documents were submitted to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar early on Friday morning, according to Chadha’s statement at a joint press conference.
Why the Two-Thirds Rule Matters
India’s anti-defection law, enshrined in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, ordinarily disqualifies any legislator who voluntarily leaves the party on whose ticket they were elected. However, the law provides one critical exception: if two-thirds or more of a party’s legislators in a House decide to merge with another party, the merger is considered constitutionally valid and no member faces disqualification.
With 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, the magic number for a valid merger was seven — precisely the number who signed the petition. This constitutional manoeuvre has been used in Indian politics before, but rarely with such public drama. The move has significant implications for the India Census 2026 and its implications for political delimitation heading into state election season.
What Led to the Split
The rift had been simmering for weeks. Just days before the merger announcement, AAP’s national leadership removed Chadha from his position as the party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. The party alleged that Chadha had failed to raise important issues against the ruling government during parliamentary sessions, a charge Chadha dismissed as politically motivated.
Chadha, a chartered accountant by training who rose to prominence during the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, had been one of AAP’s most recognisable faces. His departure signals a deeper malaise within the party, which has struggled to maintain its national relevance after several state-level political realignments in 2026, including the BJP-engineered transition in Bihar.
Swati Maliwal, another high-profile defector, had publicly clashed with senior AAP leaders in 2024 over allegations of assault at the chief minister’s residence. Her decision to join the merger was widely anticipated by political observers.
AAP’s Response and Legal Options
AAP’s remaining Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, immediately announced that the party would seek the disqualification of all seven members. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Singh called the merger a “betrayal of the people who voted for honest politics” and said AAP’s legal team was already preparing petitions.
However, constitutional experts believe AAP’s legal challenge faces an uphill battle. The Tenth Schedule explicitly permits mergers when two-thirds of a legislative party agree, and historical precedent — including the 2019 merger of TDP legislators with the BJP in Andhra Pradesh — suggests that courts have upheld such moves.
Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Atishi Marlena compared the defectors to “those who abandon a sinking ship” and accused the BJP of orchestrating the split through a combination of threats and inducements. The BJP has denied these allegations, with spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad calling the merger “a natural consequence of AAP’s ideological bankruptcy.”
Social Media Fallout
The merger triggered a massive social media response. Within 24 hours of the announcement, Raghav Chadha reportedly lost over one million followers on Instagram, according to social media tracking platforms. The hashtag #RaghavChadha trended at number one on X (formerly Twitter) for over 18 hours, while #AAPBJPMerger remained in the top five trending topics throughout the day.
Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, one of the defecting MPs, faced particular scrutiny online. Singh, who was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by AAP in 2022, was criticised by fans who accused him of prioritising political convenience over the party that gave him a parliamentary platform. The developments closely follow the high-stakes West Bengal and Tamil Nadu assembly elections of 2026 that have reshaped India’s political map.
Impact on Rajya Sabha Numbers
The merger strengthens the BJP’s position in the Rajya Sabha significantly. The NDA coalition’s Upper House numbers have been a persistent challenge for the ruling alliance, often forcing it to build issue-by-issue consensus on legislation. With seven additional MPs, the BJP-led bloc moves closer to the majority mark, potentially easing the passage of contentious bills in future sessions.
For AAP, the loss is devastating. From 10 Rajya Sabha members, the party is now reduced to three — Sanjay Singh and two others who refused to sign the merger document. This makes AAP one of the smallest parties in the Upper House and significantly diminishes its ability to influence legislative proceedings. The party’s decline mirrors a broader pattern of shifting cultural and political dynamics across India.
What Comes Next
The merger is expected to have ripple effects across multiple state elections scheduled for later this year. In Punjab, where AAP currently holds the state government, the defection of prominent leaders like Ashok Mittal and Rajinder Gupta — both influential Punjab-based industrialists — could weaken the party’s fundraising capabilities and corporate support base.
Political analysts suggest the merger may also accelerate defections at the state level. If AAP MLAs in Delhi and Punjab perceive the party as a declining force, individual legislators may begin exploring options with the BJP or Congress ahead of the next round of assembly elections.
As India’s political landscape continues to evolve in 2026, the AAP-BJP Rajya Sabha merger stands as a reminder that in Indian democracy, constitutional provisions can reshape political equations overnight. Whether this move represents a pragmatic consolidation of opposition forces into a ruling coalition or a cynical subversion of the anti-defection spirit will be debated for months to come.
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