Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and three others will meet President Droupadi Murmu on May 5, alleging misuse of Punjab’s state machinery against AAP defectors who joined the BJP. The move follows a mass Rajya Sabha shift, while Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is set to present a counter-view later the same day.
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and three other MPs have been granted an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu on May 5 at 10:40 am, according to sourcesThe delegation is set to raise concerns over alleged political vendetta and misuse of state machinery in Punjab against recent defectors from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who have joined the BJP.
The development follows a dramatic late April 2026 shift, where seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs constituting more than two-thirds of the party’s strength in the Upper House broke ranks and merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The move, led by Chadha, invoked provisions of the anti-defection law to retain their parliamentary positions.Under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule, legislators are protected from disqualification if at least two-thirds of a legislature party agree to merge with another party. This provision allowed the group to continue as BJP MPs after submitting documents to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, who recognised the merger.However, the clause originally intended to permit legitimate party mergers has often drawn criticism for enabling large-scale defections without electoral accountability.Even as the defectors prepare to present their case, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is also scheduled to meet the President later the same day. He is expected to press for the recall of the MPs and question the validity of the merger process, underscoring deepening political tensions in the state.While the defecting MPs claim they are being targeted through state machinery, AAP has disputed aspects of the merger, including the authenticity of signatures and procedural compliance. The party has sought intervention at the highest level, escalating the matter into a constitutional and political flashpoint.
