A political storm erupted on Friday after senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha declared that he and several Rajya Sabha colleagues would be merging with the Bharatiya Janata Party, triggering sharp reactions from party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Responding briefly to the development, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP had once again let down the people of Punjab. His statement came soon after Chadha publicly confirmed that he, along with Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak, would spearhead a move bringing four more AAP parliamentarians into the BJP fold.

Chadha, who has been associated with AAP for over a decade, said he felt the organisation had strayed from its founding principles of clean governance. He described himself as “in the wrong party” and accused the current leadership of abandoning its anti-corruption commitments. According to him, the required documents formalising the merger had already been submitted to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

Sources indicated that Chadha’s new political journey could see him rewarded with a ministerial berth at the Centre, although there has been no official confirmation.

The scale of the defection is politically significant. Under the anti-defection law, at least two-thirds of a party’s legislators must agree to merge with another party to avoid disqualification. With AAP holding 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha, seven MPs switching sides would meet that threshold.

Among those named by Chadha as joining the BJP are former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal — in addition to Mittal and Pathak. Maliwal’s inclusion did not come as a surprise to observers, given her public fallout with the party leadership last year following allegations against a close aide of Kejriwal.

The announcement prompted fierce criticism from AAP leaders. Sanjay Singh accused Chadha of betraying the party that elevated him to the Upper House and suggested that the BJP had orchestrated the move as part of a broader political strategy.

The episode has also highlighted internal tensions within AAP, which once dominated Delhi politics on the strength of its anti-graft image. The party’s leadership has faced legal and political challenges in recent years, including investigations linked to the now-scrapped liquor policy and controversies surrounding government spending.

Signs of friction became visible earlier this month when Chadha was removed as AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha and replaced by Ashok Mittal. Individuals close to Chadha had claimed at the time that he was being marginalised within the party.

The dramatic realignment comes at a crucial juncture, with Punjab set to head to polls next year. The AAP government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, will be seeking a renewed mandate. Chadha has been widely credited as one of the strategists behind the party’s previous electoral success in the state.

Over the years, Chadha emerged as one of AAP’s most recognisable faces, frequently representing the party in televised debates. He was entrusted with key organisational responsibilities at a young age, later winning a Delhi Assembly seat in 2020 before being nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2022.