In a dramatic political development, Raghav Chadha has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, taking with him six other Rajya Sabha MPs and triggering a major setback for Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party.

Chadha announced that seven out of AAP’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs—meeting the two-thirds threshold required under India’s anti-defection law—have decided to merge with the BJP. He said the decision has already been formally communicated to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

Among those named as part of the shift are Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney, Ashok Mittal, and Sandeep Pathak. The move significantly reduces AAP’s presence in the Upper House, leaving only three MPs in the party.

Explaining his decision, Chadha accused AAP of deviating from its founding principles of clean governance. “The party I dedicated years to is no longer the same. It has become corrupt and compromised,” he said, adding that he chose to “do the right thing” rather than quit politics altogether.

The development follows weeks of visible tensions between Chadha and AAP leadership. He had recently been removed as the party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, and internal disagreements had increasingly played out in public.

AAP swiftly hit back, calling the move a betrayal. The party said it would seek disqualification of the defecting MPs and accused the BJP of undermining democratic mandates. Kejriwal, in a brief reaction, said the move amounted to a “betrayal of Punjabis.”

Under India’s Tenth Schedule, lawmakers can avoid disqualification if at least two-thirds of a party’s members agree to merge with another party—an argument Chadha’s camp is invoking to validate the shift.

The political fallout could be significant, reshaping opposition dynamics in Parliament and strengthening BJP’s position in the Rajya Sabha. Reports also suggest Chadha could be considered for a ministerial role in the future, though no official confirmation has been made.