- India,
- 26-Apr-2026 05:38 PM IST
In the political arena, Arvind Kejriwal has been outmaneuvered by the very person he considered the organization's 'Chanakya', while arvind Kejriwal is as shocked as the general public by the rebellion of the Aam Aadmi Party MPs. During deliberations on potential threats following the action against Raghav Chadha, Kejriwal had asked his closest confidants, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, who could prove to be the weak link or switch sides, while while the rebellion of Swati Maliwal and Raghav Chadha was already known, and Harbhajan Singh had remained superficial, the party high command was already alert regarding them.
The Guarantee of Sandeep Pathak and Kejriwal's Math
Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh had assured Arvind Kejriwal that even in the worst-case scenario, four MPs would remain steadfast: Sanjay Singh, ND Gupta, Balbir Singh Seechewal, and Sandeep Pathak. Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia personally guaranteed Sandeep Pathak's loyalty, while the party has 10 Rajya Sabha MPs (7 from Punjab and 3 from Delhi). Kejriwal calculated that out of these 10, four were safe. Of the remaining six, two (Raghav Chadha and Swati Maliwal) were already rebels. Kejriwal believed that even if the other four—Ashok Mittal, Vikramjit Sahni, Harbhajan Singh, and Rajinder Gupta—joined Raghav, the party wouldn't suffer because a 2/3rd majority (7 MPs) is required to avoid disqualification. He was confident the number 7 wouldn't be reached, unaware that his fourth loyalist, Sandeep Pathak, had become Raghav's seventh rebel.
The 'Double Cross' by the Chanakya
According to sources, Sandeep Pathak 'double-crossed' Arvind Kejriwal. While Kejriwal trusted him completely, Pathak would meet Kejriwal and report on who was in contact with Raghav Chadha. During these conversations, Pathak would extract information about Kejriwal's future plan of action and how the party intended to counter Raghav Chadha. Kejriwal shared everything openly, not knowing that Pathak was relaying all this information to Raghav Chadha. This continued until the day before the rebellion, while on April 24, at 1:30 PM, Kejriwal received news of the rebellion and realized who the seventh MP was. He immediately called Manish Sisodia, who was in Gujarat, while when Sisodia asked who the seventh person was, the reply came: Sandeep Pathak.
The 20-Day Script and Pressure Tactics
The process of breaking the MPs began on April 2, the day Raghav Chadha was removed as the Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader and Ashok Mittal was appointed. Raghav Chadha, already in contact with the BJP, began mobilizing other MPs. Swati Maliwal, already a rebel, was easy to bring into the fold. On April 14, an ED raid was conducted at Ashok Mittal's premises, creating psychological pressure on other industrialist MPs like Vikram Sahni and Rajinder Gupta. On April 22, BJP leader Vinod Tawde was sent to Harbhajan Singh's house in Mumbai, where he was allegedly warned about his BCCI agreements. Meanwhile, overseas BJP officials met Rajinder Gupta in the US, warning him of potential ED action.
Kejriwal Kept in the Dark Until the End
On April 22, Vikram Sahni met Kejriwal at his residence and 'double-crossed' him by claiming that Ashok Mittal, Rajinder Gupta, and Harbhajan Singh had signed the support letter for a separate group. The next day, April 23, Sandeep Pathak met Kejriwal for 90 minutes, and Kejriwal shared Sahni's information with him. Pathak then called Ashok Mittal to Kejriwal's house, where Mittal assured Kejriwal of his loyalty despite the pressure, while kejriwal was so misled that Vikram Sahni had even taken an appointment to meet him at 7:00 PM on April 24. While Kejriwal waited, the seven rebel MPs submitted their letter of merger with the BJP to the Rajya Sabha Chairman at 11:00 AM that morning.
Sources within the AAP leadership stated that it's better the MPs are merging with the BJP as it violates rules, and they will challenge it in court to seek their disqualification. They believe that if the MPs had formed a separate group or party, it would have created more difficulties for the AAP. The party is now preparing for a legal battle over the membership of these seven MPs.
