The Secret Seven who left AAP high and dry
Raghav Chadha, who had been with the AAP since its inception, and six Rajya Sabha MPs dealt a big blow to the party ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections by merging with the BJP.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP was dealt a body blow on Friday after MP Raghav Chadha, demoted in the Rajya Sabha just weeks ago, joined the BJP. While the writing was on the wall when Chadha was removed as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha earlier this month, the shocker was his announcement that two-thirds of AAP MPs would merge with the BJP.
This effectively brings down the AAP's strength in the Rajya Sabha from 10 to just three (Sanjay Singh, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, and ND Gupta). Now, since two-thirds of AAP MPs are jumping ship, the anti-defection law is unlikely to come into play.
Chadha, once considered a close aide of Arvind Kejriwal, also hinted that there were more leaders in AAP who would join the BJP. However, for now, the focus is on the seven AAP MPs who crossed over to the BJP. Interestingly, the list includes Ashok Mittal, who was appointed by the AAP as Chadha's replacement in the Rajya Sabha.
The seven MPs are - Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Vikram Sahney, Swati Maliwal and Rajendra Gupta. The dramatic political shake-up also comes as a major setback to the party ahead of the Punjab elections next year.
A furious AAP accused Chadha of deceiving the party. Sanjay Singh said Punjab would never forget "these traitors" who stabbed the people in the back, while Kejriwal slammed the BJP for "betraying the Punjabis".
RAGHAV CHADHA
The 37-year-old suave Raghav Chadha, who has been with the AAP since its inception, was once seen as the "de facto Chief Minister" of Punjab. His exit just a year ahead of the Punjab polls will undoubtedly be a body blow to the AAP in the only state it presently holds power.
Once the blue-eyed boy of Kejriwal, Chadha, a London-educated CA, was the strategist who helped script the AAP's rise in Punjab among behemoths like SAD and the Congress.
However, Chadha began to slowly distance himself from the party after the imprisonment of top AAP leaders, including then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in the liquor policy case. His prolonged silence on party-related matters also irked the party. It eventually culminated in his removal as AAP's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha on April 2. Days later, he joined the BJP.
ASHOK MITTAL
Perhaps the most surprising name in the list is that of Ashok Kumar Mittal, who just 22 days ago was named as AAP's deputy leader in place of Raghav Chadha.
A businessman-turned-politician, Mittal is best known as the founder of Lovely Professional University (LPU). He entered active politics in 2022, the same year he was elected to the Rajya Sabha by the AAP from Punjab.
However, he has lately been under ED scrutiny. Just last week, the ED conducted searches at multiple premises linked to Mittal under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
SWATI MALIWAL
Once regarded as a close aide of Arvind Kejriwal, Swati Maliwal became a vocal critic of the AAP after her public fallout with party supremo in 2024. Maliwal, who previously headed the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), alleged in 2024 that she was brutally assaulted at the chief minister's residence by Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal's personal assistant.
However, tensions between Maliwal and Kejriwal had been brewing for some time. Like Chadha, Maliwal was also absent from Delhi after Kejriwal was arrested in the excise policy case. After the 2024 fallout, Maliwal, despite being a Rajya Sabha MP from AAP quota, vehemently criticised the party's policies in Delhi and also took on Kejriwal over the Sheeshmahal controversy.
SANDEEP PATHAK
A prominent AAP face, Sandeep Pathak's exit will hurt the party the most. Pathak was not just an MP; he was part of AAP's core group since at least 2018. So close he was to Kejriwal that he was among the three people allowed to meet him in Tihar Jail (the other two being his wife Sunita and aide Bibhav Kumar).
A highly educated leader, Pathak holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and completed post-doctoral research at Oxford University. Pathak, who mostly worked behind the scenes, was instrumental in charting strategies for the AAP during the 2020 Delhi elections and the 2022 Punjab polls.
While Pathak has not personally revealed why he quit the party, Chadha, in his press conference, said the seven MPs felt the AAP had moved away from its core values and principles.
HARBHAJAN SINGH
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, also known as The Turbanator, joined AAP after retiring from cricket and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2022. Harbhajan brought celebrity appeal and public recognition to the party, especially in Punjab.
His exit leaves AAP without a popular celebrity face in Punjab, where the Bhagwant Mann-led government now faces a daunting task to reclaim power.
VIKRAM SAHNEY
Another Punjab-based Rajya Sabha MP, Vikram Sahney heads the Sun Group and is known for his social initiatives through the Sun Foundation. The Padma Shri awardee is a renowned philanthropist, educationist and social activist. Sahney, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2022, gained prominence in the party as a policymaker.
His exit, a year ahead of the Punjab elections, is likely to upset AAP's calculations, leaving the party without another MP with a prominent business background.
RAJINDER GUPTA
Also, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, Rajinder Gupta, heads the Trident Group, which deals in sectors in textiles, paper and chemicals. Before entering politics, he was actively associated with the Confederation of Indian Industry. His resignation reflects a shift among business leaders who had previously aligned with AAP's governance model.