A major shift in the Rajya Sabha sees BJP’s numbers climb after seven AAP MPs switch sides, triggering both political welcome and a legal challenge over the merger’s validity.
A file photo of AAP leaders, including Raghav Chadha and others, who later joined the BJP, leading to a shift in Rajya Sabha numbers. (Photo: X/@NitinNabin)
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s strength in the Rajya Sabha rose sharply on Monday after seven MPs from the Aam Aadmi Party formally merged with it, a move Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju welcomed while praising the defectors’ conduct in the House.
The development, cleared by Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan, has altered the balance in the Upper House, pushing the BJP’s tally from 107 to 113 and reducing the AAP to just three members, a significant setback for the party.
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The MPs who switched sides include Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahney. They had announced their exit from the AAP last week before joining the BJP.
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Taking to X, Rijiju confirmed the merger and said the MPs are now part of the BJP Parliamentary Party. He also commended their behaviour in Parliament, stating, “For a long time I’ve observed that these 7 Hon’ble MPs have not resorted to abusive language and never created any indiscipline and unparliamentary conduct.”
Welcoming them, he added, “Welcome to nation building NDA under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and goodbye to Tukde-Tukde INDI Alliance.”
The shift significantly strengthens the BJP-led NDA in the Upper House. With the new entrants, the BJP’s presence has risen to 113 members, while the AAP is left with only three – Sanjay Singh, Narain Dass Gupta and Sant Balbir Singh.
The seven MPs together accounted for more than two-thirds of AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha, a crucial threshold under anti-defection rules.
The merger hinges on provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India, introduced through the 52nd Amendment in 1985. While the law bars defection, it allows an exception if two-thirds of a party’s legislators agree to merge with another party, protecting them from disqualification.
Citing this clause, the seven MPs justified their move.
However, the development has not gone uncontested. AAP MP Sanjay Singh has petitioned the Rajya Sabha Chairman, seeking the disqualification of the seven members and challenging what he termed a “purported merger” under the same constitutional provisions.
The petition invokes Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule, which deals with disqualification for voluntarily giving up party membership. AAP leaders have also reacted sharply, calling the move a “betrayal,” even as the BJP rolled out a warm welcome.
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