Rajya Sabha Chairman Clears Merger of 7 AAP MPs with BJP, Strength Rises to 113

New Delhi: There was an explosion in the country's politics on Sunday which no one expected. Seven Rajya Sabha MPs of Aam Aadmi Party left the party in one fell swoop and took membership of Bharatiya Janata Party. The Rajya Sabha chairman approved this merger and the secretariat issued an official notice registering all seven as BJP members. The BJP's number in Rajya Sabha has now increased to 113.

Who left AAP?

The seven faces who switched from AAP to BJP are Raghav Chadha, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Kumar Pathak, Vikramjit Singh Sahni, Swati Maliwal and Rajinder Gupta. All of them resigned from AAP on 24 April and joined BJP on the same day.

Where and how was the ceremony of joining BJP?

These leaders were formally inducted into the party at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. BJP state president Nitin Nabin and senior leader Tarun Chugh were present on this occasion. Later, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat also gave formal approval to the entire matter.

What reason did Chadha give for leaving the party?

Raghav Chadha spoke quite openly in the press conference. He said that he did not agree with some decisions of the party and gradually distanced himself from party activities. According to him, there were only two options before him: either stay away from politics o use his experience to do something positive. He chose another path.

Is this defection within the scope of law?

Chadha claims that two-thirds of AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha have taken this step together, hence it will be considered a separate faction and the anti-defection law will not apply. He said that this entire decision has been taken under the provisions of the Constitution.

What did BJP gain from this?

Direct advantage – 113 seats in Rajya Sabha. BJP's position in the House has become stronger than before, the impact of which will be clearly visible on the upcoming legislative work.

What will be the impact on politics going forward?

This is a double blow for AAP; its strength in the Rajya Sabha also declined and questions were raised on the party's credibility. The opposition is calling it a big blow. This is a strategic victory for BJP. The political consequences of this reversal will become more clear in the coming days.