New Delhi: In a seismic political realignment, Raghav Chadha officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today, April 24, 2026. Accompanied by AAP’s primary organizational architects, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Chadha was formally inducted into the saffron party at its national headquarters in New Delhi by BJP National President Nitin Nabin. This move represents the most high-profile defection in the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) history, signaling a definitive internal rupture within the Arvind Kejriwal-led leadership.
During a press conference following the ceremony, Chadha clarified that while the three of them were the primary figures physically present at the headquarters, their entry signifies a broader legislative collapse of their former party. He confirmed that seven out of 10 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs have officially merged with the BJP. By securing the support of seven members—meeting the mandatory two-thirds threshold under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution—the group ensures their parliamentary seats remain secure while shifting the balance of power in the Upper House.
The induction of Chadha, the former face of the party in Delhi and London; Pathak, the mastermind behind the 2022 Punjab victory; and Mittal, the Chancellor of LPU, effectively strips AAP of its core strategic and intellectual brain trust. Addressing the media, Chadha stated that he was the “right man in the wrong party” for too long, expressing full confidence in the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This strategic merger leaves AAP with only three representatives in the Rajya Sabha, severely diminishing its national legislative influence just as the state of Punjab begins its countdown to the 2027 Assembly elections.
