AAP in Turmoil: Seven Rajya Sabha MPs Defect to BJP Amid “Systemic Corruption” Probe

AAP in Turmoil: Seven Rajya Sabha MPs Defect to BJP Amid “Systemic Corruption” Probe

The political desertion follows a series of damaging investigative reports detailing systemic financial misconduct across multiple government sectors.

RMN News Political Desk
New Delhi | April 24, 2026

In a historic blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), seven of its ten Rajya Sabha MPs, led by Raghav Chadha, announced on Friday their decision to quit the party and join the BJP. The mass defection occurs against the backdrop of an intensifying forensic audit into what investigators term a sophisticated, 16-step “AAP Corruption Model” that has allegedly hollowed out state exchequers in Delhi and Punjab.

A Two-Thirds Exodus

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on April 24, 2026, Raghav Chadha confirmed that two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha wing would invoke constitutional provisions to merge with the BJP. Joining Chadha are high-profile members including Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, and Swati Maliwal, as well as Rajendra Gupta and Vikram Sahney.

Explaining his departure, Chadha stated that the party he “nurtured with blood and sweat” had strayed from its founding morals and now works for “personal benefits” rather than the national interest. The move leaves AAP with only three representatives in the Upper House: Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta, and Balbir Singh Sicchewal.

Also Read:

[ Investigating the AAP Corruption Model and Systematic Financial Misconduct Allegations ]

[ क्या है आम आदमी पार्टी और अरविंद केजरीवाल के भ्रष्टाचार का मॉडल? ]

The “Corruption Model” Under Scrutiny

The political desertion follows a series of damaging investigative reports detailing systemic financial misconduct across multiple government sectors. Central agencies have pivoted from prosecuting isolated acts to examining a broader “political decay” where state machinery is allegedly weaponized for extraction.

Key allegations currently under investigation include:

• The Hospital Construction Scandal: A massive ₹5,590 crore fiscal irregularity involving 24 hospitals, which led to ED raids on Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj’s residence in August 2025.
• The “Sheeshmahal” Breach: Allegations that over ₹45 crore in state funds were misappropriated for the luxury refurbishment of Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence during a public health crisis.
• The Excise Policy Probe: While some leaders secured procedural respite in corruption cases, they remain central subjects of active money laundering investigations regarding the “money trail” of alleged kickbacks.
• Punjab Extraction: Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab is described as a new “corruption playground,” with Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora facing April 2026 raids for industrial land laundering.

AAP Classified as a “Criminal Enterprise”

In an unprecedented legal maneuver, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has invoked Section 70 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to classify AAP itself as a “company”. This framework of “vicarious liability” asserts that the political organization was the ultimate beneficiary of crime proceeds, which were allegedly diverted to fund election campaigns in Goa and Punjab.

Forensic analysts describe a 16-step operational cycle used by the party, ranging from the dissemination of administrative “lies” to the use of hawala routes to move thousands of crores to overseas accounts possibly in the UK.

“Operation Lotus” Allegations

AAP leadership has reacted with fury to the defections. Senior leader Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of launching “Operation Lotus” to poach rivals and labeled the departing MPs traitors. Singh specifically targeted Chadha, stating that the people of Punjab would never forgive those who “went into the lap of the BJP” after being elevated to high office by the party.

Judicial Crossroads

The Indian legal system now faces a “terminal stress test” as the High Court evaluates whether recent trial court discharges of AAP leaders were legitimate or “mini-trials” that willfully ignored circumstantial evidence. Critics and investigators are now calling for special courts to fast-track all AAP-related probes and an aggressive pursuit of the international money trail to preserve the integrity of India’s anti-corruption framework.