Three Punjab AAP MLAs Join BJP Ahead of 2027 Polls

• Three suspended AAP MLAs join the BJP in New Delhi.
• Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh resigns from the Punjab Assembly.
• Leaders target AAP over drugs, crime, corruption and state finances.
• Defections come ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

GG News Bureau
Chandigarh, 2nd Nov: The AAP MLAs join BJP development has dealt a fresh political setback to the ruling party in Punjab, with three suspended legislators joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who represented Amritsar North, resigned from the Punjab Legislative Assembly earlier in the day before joining the BJP. Two other suspended AAP legislators, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, had resigned from the party on Sunday and joined the BJP alongside him.

The three leaders joined the BJP at its headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of senior party functionaries. They were welcomed with party scarves and membership formalities, presenting a united front at the induction event.

All three had been suspended by the AAP over alleged anti-party activities. Jouramajra represented Samana, while Pathanmajra was the MLA from Sanour in Patiala district.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh targets AAP leadership
After joining the BJP, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh launched a sharp attack on the AAP leadership, including party chief Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

He said the AAP had lost its political relevance in Punjab and predicted the formation of a BJP-led government in the state.

Singh called for a collective effort to move beyond what he described as the politics of local announcements and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. He said Punjab needed to overcome challenges such as drug abuse, extortion, gangsterism and corruption to regain its position as a progressive state.

Recalling his experience as a police officer, Singh claimed that drug-related problems and crime had been brought under control in Amritsar during his tenure as Superintendent of Police in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Pathanmajra calls for an ‘Ubharta Punjab’
Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra also criticised the AAP government, alleging that the party had sidelined those who raised concerns about Punjab’s interests.

He said the state should move beyond the image of ‘Udta Punjab’ and work towards becoming an ‘Ubharta Punjab’.

Pathanmajra also questioned the state’s financial position, alleging that the AAP government had accumulated excessive debt and pushed Punjab into a difficult situation.

Chetan Singh Jouramajra, who represented Samana, also joined the BJP with the two other leaders.

Defections follow AAP’s first candidate list
The political development comes days after the AAP announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

The list named Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as the candidate from Dhuri, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura and Minister Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West.

The latest defections come at a crucial stage for the ruling party as political preparations gather pace ahead of the state elections.

Sukhbir Badal takes a swipe at AAP
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also reacted to the developments, predicting that more leaders would leave the AAP.

He claimed that the party would struggle to retain its political support and predicted that Bhagwant Mann would lose the election from Dhuri.

Badal said voters were dissatisfied with the ruling party, although his remarks represented his political assessment of the situation.