New Delhi: The political landscape in Punjab is witnessing a major shift as Raghav Chadha, the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) prominent Rajya Sabha MP, has reportedly been granted Z+ category security by the Central Government. This development, surfacing on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, follows a significant internal reorganization within the AAP, where Chadha was recently replaced by Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal as the party’s Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha. The Centre’s decision to upgrade Chadha’s security is being seen as a move to safeguard him during a period of intense political activity and shifting party dynamics.
Simultaneous to these reports, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a massive search operation at approximately 8 to 9 locations linked to Ashok Mittal, the founder-chancellor of Lovely Professional University (LPU) and the newly appointed Deputy Leader. Teams from the Jalandhar and Delhi ED branches arrived at Mittal’s residence and the LPU campus early this morning around 7:30 AM. The probe is reportedly centered on alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Heavy police and central security forces have been deployed outside the raided premises, including those of Mittal’s brothers, Ramesh and Naresh Mittal.
The timing of these two events—the upgrade of security for Chadha and the federal raids on his successor, Mittal—has sparked intense speculation among political analysts. While the AAP leadership has historically maintained that its parliamentary changes are routine organizational shifts, the ED’s focus on Mittal’s family business, the Lovely Group, has added a layer of complexity to the party’s current standing. As investigators scrutinize financial records and international transactions at LPU and Lovely Autos, the AAP has once again accused the Centre of using investigative agencies to target its leadership and suppress opposition voices in Punjab.
