Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Seeks President’s Intervention As Raghav Chadha-Led AAP MPs Join BJP

Chandigarh: In a significant escalation following the defection of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha members to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has formally requested an urgent appointment with the President of India.

Leading a delegation of Punjab MLAs, the Chief Minister aims to present a formal demand for the recall of the defecting MPs, whom he has publicly branded as "traitors" of the state's mandate.

A Massive Blow 

The clash erupted on Friday when seven of AAP’s ten Rajya Sabha members, six of whom represent Punjab, formally merged with the BJP. 

The group was led by senior leader and former party strategist Raghav Chadha, alongside prominent figures such as Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh. 

By mobilising seven members, the group met the two-thirds constitutional threshold required to invoke the merger clause of the Tenth Schedule (Anti-Defection Law), potentially shielding them from immediate disqualification.

"Betrayal of Punjab’s Mandate"

In a statement, the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) Mann asserted that these members have “backstabbed” the people of Punjab who voted for a landslide AAP victory in 2022.

He argued that since the MPs were nominated based on the strength of AAP's 92 MLAs in the Punjab Assembly, their defection constitutes a legal and moral fraud on the legislature.

The CM and his MLAs will demand that the President intervene to ensure these seats are vacated, allowing the Punjab Assembly to elect new representatives who align with the current state mandate.

While the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (the Vice President) typically decides on disqualification matters, the AAP leadership is exploring every avenue to prevent the BJP from expanding its footprint in Punjab through the back door.

As the delegation prepares to head to New Delhi, the political temperature in Punjab remains at an all-time high, with the AAP framing the upcoming meeting as a fight for "Punjab’s pride" against "Operation Lotus."