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IN PHOTOS: AAP rocked by mass Rajya Sabha exit as seven MPs back BJP merger
Updated On: 24 April, 2026 07:51 PM IST | Tarun Verma
A dramatic political shift unfolds in New Delhi as multiple AAP Rajya Sabha MPs announce their exit and move towards the BJP. Sharp reactions by party leaders and high-profile meetings at BJP headquarters depict quick changing political equations. Pics/PTI

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Chadha and fellow MPs, including Sandeep Pathak, arrive at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, marking the beginning of their transition to a new political alignment
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At the BJP office, leaders are welcomed by Nitin Nabin, as discussions begin over the proposed merger of the breakaway faction

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Chadha, Pathak and Ashok Mittal meet BJP leadership, underscoring the scale and seriousness of the political development
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Other prominent names in the exit include Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajendra Gupta, and Vikramjit Singh Sahney, highlighting the breadth of the split

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Sanjay Singh addresses a press conference in New Delhi, strongly criticising the defection of AAP MPs and alleging it is part of the BJP’s “Operation Lotus”
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Explaining his decision, Chadha says the AAP has “moved away from its ideology,” adding that he felt he had been in the “wrong party” for some time. The developments deal a major blow to AAP’s presence in the Rajya Sabha, potentially strengthening the BJP’s numbers in the Upper House

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Calling them “gaddars,” Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann alleged betrayal of Punjab’s people and claimed BJP was attempting to destabilise the state’s political mandate.
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