Raghav Chadha's Exit: AAP Loses Key Strategists, Who Cracked 'Punjab Code', After MP Exodus

Last Updated:April 25, 2026, 09:11 IST

Seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, including strategists Sandeep Pathak and Raghav Chadha, quit the party.

In a major political development, the exit of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MPs has delivered a symbolic setback to the party in Punjab, especially with two of its key strategists, Sandeep Pathak and Raghav Chadha, stepping away ahead of the 2027 state Assembly elections, now less than a year away.

Both leaders played pivotal roles in AAP’s landslide victory in Punjab in 2022. Pathak, often referred to within the party as the “silent mastermind," oversaw the state campaign and built a strong, data-driven grassroots network. Chadha, who served as Punjab co-in-charge alongside Jarnail Singh, acted as the prominent link between the then Delhi leadership and the state unit.

AAP Faces Symbolic Setback In Punjab

In recent months, however, their influence in Punjab had waned. Following AAP’s loss in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, senior leaders from Delhi, including Manish Sisodia, turned their attention to Punjab. Sisodia formally assumed charge as Punjab in-charge in March 2025, effectively taking over strategic responsibilities.

“Chadha’s exit is more of a symbolic and psychological setback than a functional one," said an AAP leader, according to a report in The Times Of India. “Since Sisodia took charge, the leadership and campaign planning have been centrally driven from Punjab," the leader added.

Pathak-Chadha Exit Before 2027 Polls

A former party leader shared a similar perspective, noting that while Pathak and Chadha were instrumental in helping AAP “crack the Punjab code" in 2022 without contesting elections, their exit is unlikely to disrupt operations immediately. “The next campaign will be centred on governance rather than the ‘Badlav’ narrative of 2022," the leader said, adding that the BJP was likely to use their exit to project AAP as a “sinking ship".

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann downplayed the development, describing the departing MPs as “non-mass leaders" who were only political appointees. Even so, analysts believe the BJP will attempt to capitalise on the optics of a coordinated exit by senior AAP figures.

By exiting together, the MPs have invoked the two-thirds merger provision under the Tenth Schedule, allowing them to retain their Rajya Sabha seats — a move seen as bolstering the BJP’s psychological edge ahead of the upcoming Punjab elections.

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