Fastest growing startup to implosion: Future tense for AAP as Raghav Chadha leads Rajya Sabha exodus | India News

New Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal-led party suffered its biggest internal shock on Friday, as Raghav ChadhaOnce its rising star and blue-eyed son of Kejriwal, led a massive Rajya Sabha defection to the Bharatiya Janata Party.Rumblings of dissent from Raghav Chadha erupted into a full-blown revolt. Not only did Chadha step down, he took with him a large chunk of AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha, plunging the party into its biggest crisis since its birth in 2012.“Ghayal” Raghav Chadha Rebellion AAP quits “Ghayal”.After Chadha was removed as deputy leader in the upper chamber, long-hidden fissures opened up beneath the surface, a post given to Ashok Mittal, who has now joined the rebellion.

The fastest-growing political startup, which formed three successive governments in Delhi, including two with historic mandates, and later came to power in Punjab just 15 years after its formation, is now facing internal dissension. Its own leaders are openly questioning “Kejriwal’s brand of politics” and accusing it of moving away from “honest politics” in a tone of rebellion.What’s next for AAP?

The exodus includes several high-profile names, including Swati Maliwal, who had already quit the party in 2024 after alleging physical abuse by Vivah Kumar at then Chief Minister Kejriwal’s official residence.Joining the splinter group are cricketer-turned-Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh, along with Sandeep Pathak, Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahni, names that add weight and visibility to the rebellion.

Standing in front of the media, Chadha called himself “the right guy in the wrong party” before officially stepping aside BJP At its headquarters in New Delhi.

But the real shock is in the numbers. In a stunning show of strength, six other AAP MPs, taking the party’s total of 10 in the Rajya Sabha to seven, sided with Chadha. For AAP, it is not just rebellion; It has almost ended its presence in the upper house.Announcing the move, Chadha said two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs have decided to merge with the BJP.“We have decided that we, the 2/3rd members of the AAP in the Rajya Sabha, will exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP,” he said at a press conference at the Constitution Club along with Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal.Explaining his decision, Chadha accused the party of deviating from its founding ideals.“AAP, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat and gave 15 years of my youth, has deviated from its principles, values ​​and core morals. Now this party does not work in the interest of the nation but for its personal benefits… For the past few years, I feel that I am the right man in the wrong party. So, today, I am publicly dissociating myself from AAP and announcing that I am shutting down.” said

Meanwhile, Kejriwal immediately reacted, suggesting that the move was orchestrated by the BJP and said, “BJP has betrayed Punjabis again.”

The irony is hard to miss. A party born out of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, which once promised to uplift “traditional” politics with a “new politics” model, has now been accused by its own leaders of abandoning those ideals.The outsider who challenged the system is now battling a rebellion from within, which threatens to shake its foundations.

Not too long ago, the Delhi defeat at the hands of the BJP dealt a blow to the Kejriwal brigade, which mainly damaged AAP’s national standing and influence.Reduced to ruling only Punjab, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and a limited presence in Parliament, AAP was already on the back foot. Friday’s revolt further eroded his power in the Rajya Sabha, deepening the crisis.In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, AAP won only 3 seats in Punjab. Now with the revised Rajya Sabha numbers, AAP is left with a total of 6 MPs to raise concerns in Parliament.

The twin blows of 2025 and 2026, first the Delhi debacle and now this big yatra, have pushed AAP to its most vulnerable point yet.Emerging from an anti-corruption wave, AAP positioned itself as a disruptor, challenging the Congress establishment at the Center under Manmohan Singh and in Delhi under longtime Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.In the first election battle, AAP shocked the political class. Kejriwal deposed Sheila Dixit, ending her 15-year rule, and defeated her in the New Delhi constituency. What followed was a meteoric rise — 67 out of 70 seats in 2015 and 62 in 2020.But by 2025, the tide has turned. The BJP returned to Delhi after a dry spell of more than two decades, dangerously reducing AAP’s tally to 22 seats and appointing Rekha Gupta as Chief Minister.

Announcing his exit, Chadha set himself squarely in the BJP’s narrative to target his former boss Kejriwal, accusing the AAP of prioritizing “personal benefits” over “national interests”. His departure, and the level of support behind him, fueled these accusations.Over the years, AAP’s top leadership including Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay SinghAnd Satyendra Jain, faces investigations by agencies like ED and CBI The party’s anti-corruption image has been undermined by prison conditions and investigations, and even some cases later in court, that have weakened.Interestingly, Chadha largely stayed away from these controversies. Even during Kejriwal’s imprisonment and subsequent reprieve, he maintained a noticeable aloofness – fueling speculation of a widening internal rift.After the exit of Raghav Chadha and other rebel MPs Aam Aadmi PartyParty leader in Rajya Sabha Sanjay Singh led the charge and launched a scathing attack on the BJP, alleging concerted efforts by central agencies like the ED and CBI to weaken and destabilize the party.

Reacting strongly to the incident, Singh said, “Bharat Janata Party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have launched their ‘Operation Lotus’ to stop the good work of the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab. 7 AAP Rajya Sabha MPs are joining BJP. People of Punjab should remember these 7 names. These ‘traitors’ of Punjab will never be forgiven.”

The focus is now on Punjab.Chadha was instrumental in AAP’s landslide victory in 2022, helping the party jump from 20 seats in 2017 to 92 out of 117. The victory ousted the Charanjit Singh Channi-led Congress government and installed AAP’s second full-fledged government after Delhi.

Now, with Chadda and several Punjab-affiliated MPs walking out, a rift could appear.Meanwhile, Chief Minister and Kejriwal loyalist Bhagwant Mann hit back strongly, calling the outgoing leaders “traitors” and dismissing their prospects in the BJP. He also accused the BJP of trying to expand its footprint in Punjab through defections.Yet the political equation is changing. With the Congress still the main opposition party and the BJP now bolstered by ex-AAP faces, the race is likely to intensify.There is a certain political irony at play.Just as AAP once ousted Congress, from Delhi in 2013 to Punjab in 2022, BJP has now overtaken AAP in Delhi.The lingering question now: Is Punjab on BJP’s side?