BJP RS Strength Swells as Chadha, 6 Ex-AAP MPs Officially Join
Vice President accepts merger, delivering major parliamentary blow to Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP
- Raghav Chadha and six MPs formally join BJP
- BJP’s Rajya Sabha tally rises sharply
- Major setback for Arvind Kejriwal
- BJP hails move as boost to NDA’s parliamentary strength
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 27th April: The BJP on Monday significantly strengthened its position in the Rajya Sabha after Vice President and Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan formally accepted the merger of seven former Aam Aadmi Party MPs into the BJP Parliamentary Party.
The development officially inducts Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahney into the BJP fold.
The move substantially boosts the BJP-led NDA’s Upper House strength while dealing a major political and parliamentary setback to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju welcomed the seven MPs, praising their parliamentary conduct and describing their induction as a step towards nation-building under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
The AAP has strongly opposed the merger, terming it a betrayal and indicating it may pursue legal remedies, including disqualification petitions under anti-defection provisions.
The merger has also intensified broader political tensions, with BJP leaders using the occasion to attack opposition alliances and question their cohesion at the national level.
With this shift, BJP’s influence in the Rajya Sabha is expected to strengthen further, potentially impacting future legislative strategy and coalition arithmetic.
The political fallout is likely to have lasting implications for both AAP’s national ambitions and the wider opposition landscape.
