RS Chairman approves 7 AAP MPs’ Switch to BJP; AAP Down to 3
The development marks a major setback for the AAP, which has now been reduced to just three members in the Upper House after losing two-thirds of its MPs
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) strength in the Rajya Sabha has increased to 113 after Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan approved the merger of Raghav Chadha and six other MPs who quit the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The development marks a major setback for the AAP, which has now been reduced to just three members in the Upper House after losing two-thirds of its MPs.
Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, and Ashok Mittal parted ways with the AAP on Friday and joined the BJP in the presence of party leadership.
Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, and Swati Maliwal had also switched to the BJP.
Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh had petitioned Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan to disqualify the seven MPs. The petition challenged the “purported merger” under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and sought their disqualification under Paragraph 2(1)(a).
Paragraph 2 of the Tenth Schedule deals with disqualification on grounds of defection. It states that a member may be disqualified if they voluntarily give up membership of their political party, subject to provisions under Paragraphs 4 and 5.
However, the Tenth Schedule allows exemption from disqualification if at least two-thirds of a party’s members agree to merge with another party. The seven AAP MPs met this requirement by joining the BJP.
The move has sparked strong reactions from AAP leaders, who termed it a “betrayal,” while the BJP welcomed the development.
