Raghav Chadha, once a prominent face of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a close aide to Arvind Kejriwal, has officially announced his decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Chadha, along with two other MPs, met with BJP President Nitin Nabin to formalize his entry into the party. Following this significant political shift, Chadha claimed that two-thirds of the total Rajya Sabha MPs from the Aam Aadmi Party would soon join the BJP.
The 'De-facto CM' Era and Conflict with Bhagwant Mann
' It was widely believed in political circles that he remained in direct contact with Arvind Kejriwal and was managing the Punjab government from the back door. During this period, reports of a rift between Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Raghav Chadha began to surface. Allegations were made that Chadha was running a parallel government, conducting meetings with officials, and taking key policy decisions. Although neither Chadha nor Mann publicly expressed their grievances at the time, the internal friction continued to simmer behind the scenes.
Kejriwal’s Arrest: The Turning Point in Relations
According to party sources, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had expressed his displeasure regarding Raghav Chadha's functioning to Arvind Kejriwal on several occasions, yet Chadha remained a favorite of the party high command for a long time. However, the real conflict began during the arrest of senior AAP leaders, particularly Arvind Kejriwal, while while Bhagwant Mann reached Delhi with his cabinet ministers and MLAs to protest, Raghav Chadha remained absent from these demonstrations. The party expected him to stand firmly with the leadership during this crisis, whereas Mann consistently demonstrated his loyalty through active participation. After Kejriwal's release from jail, Chadha was completely distanced from Punjab affairs and gradually moved away from the central leadership as well.
Parliamentary Deviations and Removal from Party Posts
The distance between Raghav Chadha and the party leadership widened further due to his conduct in the Rajya Sabha. On several occasions where the party decided to stand with other opposition parties on specific issues, Chadha remained absent. Plus, instead of raising the issues mandated by the party in the Rajya Sabha, Chadha focused on topics such as the middle class, taxation, and gig workers. The AAP leadership perceived this as an attempt by Chadha to deviate from the party line and project an independent leader's image. Consequently, he was removed from the post of Deputy Leader of AAP in the Rajya Sabha.