Raghav Chadha joins BJP: Can he be disqualified from Rajya Sabha? What the anti-defection law says

In a dramatic political turn, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has announced exit from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with six other AAP RS members and a simultaneous “merger” with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move, coming days after his public fallout with the party, ensures that he and six other MPs avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law by crossing the crucial two-thirds mark in the Rajya Sabha.

Also Read: ‘Dhurandhar’ Raghav Chadha: How Ghayal AAP leader turned Ghatak for Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, what went wrong?

What does the anti-defection law say? Can Raghav Chadha be disqualified?

This is not just political wordplay. Under the Constitution’s Tenth Schedule, an MP can escape disqualification only if at least two-thirds of legislators from a party agree to merge with another party. A solo exit would have meant losing the Rajya Sabha seat.
Chadha made the strategy clear in his post on X: “We, two-thirds of the Members of Parliament belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Rajya Sabha, will exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).”

Seven AAP MPs switch sides

AAP currently has 10 Rajya Sabha MPs. Chadha claimed that seven of them have now joined him in the merger move. The names include:

1. Raghav Chadha
2. Ashok Kumar Mittal
3. Sandeep Pathak
4. Harbhajan Singh
5. Rajinder Gupta
6. Vikramjit Singh Sahney
7. Swati Maliwal

Most of these MPs are from Punjab, underlining the scale of the shift in the state where AAP has been politically dominant.

Punjab link stands out

Five of the MPs moving with Chadha are from Punjab. Among them is Sandeep Pathak, the party’s national general secretary who has played a key organisational role in the state. Former cricketer Harbhajan Singh is also part of the group, adding public visibility to the move.Also Read: Raghav Chadha to join BJP along with 2/3rds of AAP Rajya Sabha members, including Harbhajan Singh

The shift signals a significant dent in AAP’s upper house strength, especially from a state that has been central to its expansion beyond Delhi.

Who stays back in AAP

After the split, three MPs remain with AAP in the Rajya Sabha:

• Sanjay Singh
• Balbir Singh Seechewal
• ND Gupta

Their reduced numbers raise questions about the party’s influence in the Upper House going forward.

At its core, this is a story of numbers as much as politics. By ensuring that two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs moved together, Chadha has turned what could have been a risky defection into a technically valid merger under constitutional rules.

The development reshapes the parliamentary arithmetic overnight, and leaves AAP managing one of its sharpest internal ruptures since its rise on the national stage.