Tensions escalated in Punjab as a group of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers staged a protest outside the residence of former cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh, vandalising the property and writing “gaddar” (traitor) on the walls.
Videos shared by news agency ANI showed AAP worksers vandalising the property and writing “gaddar” (traitor) on the walls.
#WATCH | Jalandhar, Punjab: AAP workers express their resentment against Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh as they wrote "Gaddar" on the walls of his residence in Jalandhar.
Raghav Chadha, Harbhajan Singh, along with 2/3rd MPs of AAP, merged with the BJP yesterday. pic.twitter.com/PGiFKwlt0I
— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2026 Three MPs confirmed to have switch sides
In a significant setback for the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, seven Rajya Sabha MPs, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Ashok Mittal and Vikram Sahney, have reportedly moved to the BJP.
पंजाब का गद्दार‼️ pic.twitter.com/ccr5gXfpow
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) April 24, 2026 However, as of now, only Chadha, Pathak and Mittal have officially joined the BJP, while confirmation is awaited for the remaining MPs including Harbhajan.
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The development has sparked strong reactions from workers on the ground, with protests reported in parts of Punjab.
‘Two-thirds rule’ invoked
Addressing the media, Raghav Chadha said the group had acted together under constitutional provisions that allow a merger if two-thirds of a party’s MPs agree.
“We have decided that we, as two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha members, are exercising our constitutional right to merge with the BJP,” Chadha said.
He also criticised the AAP leadership, alleging that the party had drifted away from its founding promise of clean and transparent politics.
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From Kejriwal’s close aide to critic
Chadha, 37, has been closely associated with Arvind Kejriwal since the early days of the movement that led to the formation of AAP. A chartered accountant by training, he joined the political space during the India Against Corruption movement and quickly rose within the party ranks.
Over the years, he served as a national spokesperson and was appointed national treasurer at a relatively young age, emerging as one of the party’s prominent faces.
Political fallout intensifies
With the group invoking the two-thirds merger clause under the Tenth Schedule, the MPs are expected to retain their Rajya Sabha memberships.
However, the move has deepened the political rift within AAP, with visible anger among party workers now spilling onto the streets.
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