New Delhi: The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, C P Radhakrishnan, on Monday officially accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), significantly altering the party’s strength in the Upper House.
The MPs who have merged with the BJP are Raghav Chadha, Ashok Kumar Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Kumar Pathak, Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Swati Maliwal, and Rajinder Gupta.
Following the development, the BJP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha has increased from 106 to 113, while the AAP’s tally has dropped sharply from 10 to 3 members, according to data available on the Rajya Sabha website.
The Rajya Sabha website now reflects the shift, listing the seven MPs as part of the BJP.
The move follows a petition by the MPs last week seeking to be recognised as BJP members after announcing their merger. The request has now been accepted by the Chairman, sources said.
The development comes amid a political face-off, with the AAP moving a petition before the Chairman on Sunday seeking termination of the membership of the seven MPs who switched sides.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said he had sought the disqualification of the MPs in the Upper House after they quit the party.
The seven MPs had on Friday announced their exit from the AAP and merger with the BJP, alleging that the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
The Chairman’s acceptance formalises the transition, marking a significant shift in the composition of the Rajya Sabha.
