In contrast, AAP’s strength has dropped from 10 to just three.The development comes after Chadha along with fellow MPs Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal announced their decision to quit AAP and join BJP, triggering a widening split within the party. MPs including Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta and Vikram Sawhney are also part of the group that supported the move.While announcing the decision, Chadha had sharply criticized his former party. He said, “The Aam Aadmi Party, which I nurtured with my blood and sweat and to which I gave 15 years of my youth, has now completely deviated from its principles, values ​​and core morality. The party is no longer working in the interest of the country or national, but for personal gain.”He also said that this division had the support of most of the AAP MPs in the Upper House. “We have decided that we, two-thirds of the AAP members in the Rajya Sabha, will invoke the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP,” Chadha said.

NDA benefits, BJP’s position strengthened

With the addition of seven MPs, the BJP has further strengthened its position in the Rajya Sabha with 113 members.The broader National Democratic Alliance (NDA) continues to maintain a comfortable lead, with allies like the four-member Janata Dal (United) and the five-member AIADMK supporting the alliance.

AAP was reduced to just three MPs

For the AAP, the split has resulted in a dramatic decline in its parliamentary strength. The party now has only three MPs left: Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta and Balbir Singh Seechewal.Sanjay Singh, who remains the party’s most vocal face in Parliament, has strongly criticized the defectors, accusing them of division in the BJP. He alleged that central agencies were being used as part of a larger political strategy and termed the outgoing MPs as ‘traitors’.He said, “Operation Lotus is being carried out against the Punjab government… ED and CBI are being used to carry out this Operation Lotus… The people of Punjab will never forget these traitors.”

influence on opposition group

This change has also affected the opposition camp, of which AAP is a part. After the exit of seven MPs, the combined strength of the block in the Rajya Sabha has now come down to 77 members, which was earlier 84.The bloc is led by Congress (29 members), followed by Trinamool Congress (13) and DMK (8), along with parties like Samajwadi Party (4), CPI (M) (3), RJD (3), Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (3), CPI (2), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (2), IUML (2), NCP (4) and AAP (3).

a political turn

The development marks a major political turning point for the AAP, which has steadily built its presence in the Rajya Sabha in recent years. The sudden departure of two-thirds of the MPs not only affects its numerical strength but also raises questions on the internal unity within the party.For the BJP, this gain has further strengthened its position in the Upper House, giving it more space to pursue its legislative agenda with less reliance on outside support.