What Happened: Story Behind Raghav Chadha Joining BJP
In a major political shake-up, Raghav Chadha and six other MPs quit the Aam Aadmi Party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, triggering a legal battle over defection rules.
On the morning of 24 April 2026, something felt off inside the Aam Aadmi Party. Senior leaders were suddenly unreachable, and whispers of backchannel talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party began spreading.
By 11:30 AM, the suspense broke—Raghav Chadha had resigned. Within an hour, six more Rajya Sabha MPs followed, taking the count to seven out of ten—crossing the crucial two-thirds mark.
By afternoon, the group officially joined the BJP, delivering a massive political jolt to AAP. The timing raised eyebrows, especially after recent Enforcement Directorate raids linked to MP Ashok Mittal. AAP called it pressure politics; BJP dismissed the claim.
By evening, Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders labeled the episode “Operation Lotus,” alleging coercion. Hours later, Chadha pushed back with a video, citing a “toxic” party environment and internal dissatisfaction as his reasons.
The fallout intensified the next day—public backlash surged online, Chadha lost over a million followers, and AAP moved the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking disqualification under the anti-defection law.
But the twist lies in the numbers: with 7 out of 10 MPs exiting together, Chadha’s camp is invoking the “merger” exception to ?? disqualification. AAP argues this isn’t a merger—just a split.
Now, the spotlight shifts to the Chairman’s decision, which could spark a prolonged legal battle—and reshape the political narrative ahead.
