Raghav Chadha, 6 RS MPs Quit AAP: Will Anti-Defection Law Apply? How It Will Boost BJP’s Numbers

Last Updated:April 24, 2026, 16:26 IST

Raghav Chadha, 6 MPs Quit AAP: To avoid disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law, the MPs are utilising merger provision. What is it? How will it boost BJP's numbers?

In what is being seen as massive jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, along with four others, quit the party.

Along with Raghav Chadha, the group includes prominent MPs such as Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal. Other names linked to the move include Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal.

Addressing the press conference, Chadha said that nearly two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs have quit the party and will join the BJP as a faction.

Raghav Chadha, 6 MPs Quit AAP: The Leaders Who Left Arvind Kejriwal

Chadha cited disillusionment with the AAP, stating the party had “deviated from its principles" and describing himself as a “right man in the wrong party". The fallout escalated after AAP leadership stripped Chadha of his deputy leadership role on April 2, and requested the Rajya Sabha Secretariat not to allot him speaking time.

Strategy to Bypass Anti-Defection Law

To avoid disqualification under the Tenth Schedule (Anti-Defection Law), the defecting MPs are utilising the “merger" provision.

Under the 91st Constitutional Amendment (2003), members can avoid disqualification only if at least two-thirds of a party’s legislative unit decides to merge with another party.

Raghav Chadha News Live Updates HERE

Before this move, AAP held 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha. By having 7 out of 10 MPs (more than 66%) join the BJP, the group meets the legal threshold to maintain their seats as BJP members without triggering a by-election.

What it means for the BJP-led in the Rajya Sabha

The mass defection significantly alters the power balance in the Upper House:

The addition of 7 MPs directly boosts the BJP’s tally, bringing the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) closer to a definitive majority in the Rajya Sabha.

• BJP Individual Tally: 113 MPs (Increased from 106)
• NDA Alliance Tally: 148 MPs (Increased from 141)
• Majority Mark: 123 (in a 245-member house)

With these increased numbers, the BJP-led government is better positioned to pass critical or controversial legislation, such as the Waqf Amendment Bill, which had previously faced stiff opposition in the Upper House.

AAP’s presence in the Rajya Sabha has been effectively hollowed out, losing the vast majority of its representation and its most recognizable national voices.

With agency inputs

News explainers Raghav Chadha, 6 RS MPs Quit AAP: Will Anti-Defection Law Apply? How It Will Boost BJP’s Numbers

Read More