26 April,2026 10:09 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Sanjay Singh. Pic/PTI
The Aam Aadmi Party has approached the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking the disqualification of seven of its former MPs who recently quit the party and announced their merger with the Bharatiya Janata Party, escalating the political and legal battle over the high-profile defections, reported PTI.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said he has submitted a formal petition to C. P. Radhakrishnan, urging him to terminate the membership of the seven MPs. Addressing a press conference, Singh alleged that their move violates the anti-defection provisions under the Constitution, reported PTI.
He added that the party is prepared to pursue legal remedies, including approaching the courts, if necessary.
Singh argued that the MPs were elected to the Upper House on AAP tickets and later switched allegiance, which he described as a betrayal of both the electorate and constitutional principles. He referred to judicial precedents and provisions under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with disqualification on grounds of defection, reported PTI.
According to him, past Supreme Court rulings in cases involving states such as Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh have clarified the limits of such political shifts.
The development follows a major split within AAP earlier this week, when seven Rajya Sabha MPs - including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajendra Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahney - resigned from the party and declared their intention to merge with the BJP.
The MPs had argued that their move was constitutionally valid, claiming that more than two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha members supported the merger, thereby meeting the legal threshold.
Rejecting this argument, Singh said the move amounted to defection rather than a legitimate merger. He claimed there was widespread anger in Punjab, from where six of the seven MPs were elected, and accused them of betraying the people of the state, reported PTI.
He also dismissed reports suggesting that AAP legislators in Punjab were in contact with the BJP, calling such claims "false propaganda".
The controversy has further intensified amid parallel political attacks. Singh responded to allegations related to a government bungalow allotted to Arvind Kejriwal, which the BJP has criticised as extravagant.
Delhi minister Parvesh Sahib Singh had recently shared images of the property, dubbing it "Sheesh Mahal 2" and alleging misuse of funds. Singh, however, dismissed the images as fabricated and said the party would initiate defamation proceedings against those spreading false claims, reported PTI.
With both sides invoking constitutional provisions and legal interpretations, the issue is expected to move into a prolonged legal and political battle. The Rajya Sabha Chairman's decision on the petition will be closely watched, as it could have significant implications for party discipline and anti-defection jurisprudence in India.
(With inputs from PTI)
