Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh among 7 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs to join BJP - Who are they?

Raghav Chadha to join BJP: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha Members of Parliament (MPs), Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak announced on 24 April that they are joining the BJP along with five other party MPs in the Upper House.

Chadha addressed a press confernece and said that seven out of 10 Rajya Sabha MPs of AAP are set to merge with the BJP. "As per the Constitution, two-thirds of the total MPs of a party can merge with another party," Chadha said.

"We have submitted a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan in this regard today... submitting all the documents required, " he told reporters.

The anti-defection law

Under the Constitution's Tenth Schedule, that sets out the regulations concerning disqualification on the basis of defection. a member of the Rajya Sabha is exempt from anti-defection disqualification if two-thirds of his/her party’s legislators together agree to merge with another party. The AAP has 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, of which seven, or two third, have parted ways as per Chadha.

Chadha said other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs who are joining the BJP are Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahni, Swati Maliwal and Ashok Mittal.

Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, both AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, were present with Chadha at the press conference.

Should Chadha resign from the AAP on his own, he would lose his Rajya Sabha membership under the anti-defection law. Chadha's move comes days after Chadha had a public falling out with the Aam Aadmi Party. While his move was expected, other names joining him in a coup of sorts has come a surprise, especially with regards to Sandeep Pathak, the IITIan who was once considered mind behind party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Of the seven who have switched sides, six are MPs from Punjab, elected in 2022 when the AAP won the state elections with a landslide and is going to polls next year.

Who are AAP Rajya Sabha MPs joining the BJP?

1- Raghav Chadha: Raghav became one of the youngest members of the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in 2022. A chartered accountant by profession, he has also served as an MLA in Delhi before being nominated to Rajya Sabha by Kejriwal. Chadha was removed from the post of Rajya Sabha deputy leader last month over issues with the party

2- Ashok Mittal: The founder of Lovely Professional University (LPU), Mittal was also elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in 2022. He had replaced Chadha as deputy leader of Rajya Sabha.

On 15 April, the Enforcement Directorate conducted a raid one premises linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal, including Lovely Professional University in Phagwara, as part of a FEMA investigation into overseas financial transactions.

3- Sandeep Pathak: An IITIan like Kejiriwal, Pathak is known as mind behind party chief and a keyt strategist in the party that came to being fourteen years ago out of an anti-corruption movment. Pathak became a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab in 2022 and played a key role in managing party operations. Some AAP leaders confided that Pathak was being sidelined in the party in recent times.

4- Harbhajan Singh: Singh is a former Indian international cricketer who was popular off-spin bowler for Indian cricket team before joining politics. Singh joined AAP and became a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab in 2022.

5- Rajinder Gupta: Billionaire industrialist Rajinder Gupta is among Punjab's richest men. With a net worth of about $1.2 billion, about ₹10,000 crore, Gupta is a is a first-generation entrepreneur who founded the Trident Limited, the flagship company of Trident Group.

The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) nominated Gupta as its Rajya Sabha candidate in October last year. Gupta's declared wealth is more than combined wealth of veterans of Punjab politics such as Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bikram Majithia and Captain Amarinder Singh.

Gupta is the founder and chairman emiritus of Trident Group, an Indian conglomerate engaged in textiles, paper and chemicals. Rajinder Gupta has been serving as a MP in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab since November 2025.

6- Vikram Sahney: A businessman and social worker, Sahney elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in 2022 on an AAP ticket. Sahney has been conferred with the Padma Shri.

7- Swati Maliwal: Like Chadha, Maliwal had laso distanced from AAP over various issues. A former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, Maliwal is known for her activism on women's rights and safety. She became Rajya Sabha member in 2024 representing Delhi.

(With agency inputs)