US Edition7 Ex-AAP MPs Formally Join BJP; NDA Strength in Rajya Sabha Climbs to 148, AAP Down to 3
The merger cuts AAP’s Rajya Sabha strength to 3 and lifts the BJP to 113, with the NDA total now at 148.
- On Monday, Upper House Chairman C P Radhakrishnan accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party members into the Bharatiya Janata Party , reducing the AAP's Rajya Sabha strength to three MPs while the BJP rose to 113.
- Last Friday's rebellion, led by Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal, and Sandeep Kumar Pathak, triggered this crisis after the AAP previously held 10 members in the Upper House.
- Under the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, a party merger requires two-thirds of members to switch to avoid disqualification proceedings, allowing the seven MPs to join the BJP without facing expulsion.
- Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh remains as floor leader alongside Delhi MP Narain Das Gupta and Punjab MP Sant Balbir Singh, as the party's representation has been severely diminished.
- This event echoes the 'Aaya Ram Gaya Ram' era of the 1960s, which necessitated the 10th Schedule's anti-defection provisions, now reshaped by the BJP's legislative dominance.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Seven dissidents belong to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by one of the most prominent critics of the Indian Prime Minister, Arvind Kejriwal; the change could facilitate the government's approval of laws.
Rajya Sabha Chair Accepts Raghav Chadha And AAP Rebels’ Merger With BJP
On 27 April 2026, Rajya Sabha chairperson CP Radhakrishnan officially accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Members of Parliament, including Raghav Chadha, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This decision increased the BJP’s strength in the Upper House to 113 and reduced AAP’s representation to three MPs. The seven MPs had announced their departure from AAP and intention to join the BJP three days prior to the chairperson’s acce…
India’s upper house shifts as Modi’s BJP reaches 113 seats following mass AAP defection
NEW DELHI, April 27 — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party strengthened its position in parliament’s upper house after seven opposition lawmakers joined it, a parliamentary list showed on Monday, a shift that could ease the government’s passage of legislation.All seven defectors are from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by one of Modi’s most high-profile critics, Arvind Kejriwal. The party governs the northern state of Punjab and pr…
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