AAP suffers major jolt as two MLAs resign ahead of 2027 Punjab polls

Chandigarh: In a major setback for Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, two of its MLAs, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra, resigned from the party's primary membership and the Assembly on Sunday.

Pathanmajra, who represents the Sanour Assembly constituency in Patiala district, sent his resignation letter to AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, announcing his decision to quit the party with immediate effect.

"I hereby submit my resignation from primary membership of Aam Aadmi Party with immediate effect," he wrote in his letter.

Pathanmajra has been at the centre of several controversies in the past. A rape case was registered against him, following which he travelled to Australia. He was subsequently arrested by the police after returning to India to join the investigation into the case.

The Punjab Police had registered a case against the first-time legislator from Sanaur on September 1, 2025, on charges of rape, cheating and criminal intimidation. The 50-year-old MLA had allegedly fled from his relative's house in Dabri village of Karnal on September 2, 2025, just minutes after a Punjab Police team reached the location to arrest him in connection with the rape case.

Pathanmajra had made a dramatic escape from police custody in September last year and had been evading arrest since then.

Meanwhile, Jouramajra, who represents the Samana Assembly constituency and has also served as a minister in the Punjab government, announced his resignation through a social media post.

According to media reports, tensions had reportedly been building between him and the party leadership after the AAP high command appointed former senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Surjit Singh Rakhra as the in-charge of the Samana Assembly constituency.

The decision had reportedly left Jouramajra unhappy with the party leadership, as the appointment of another leader as constituency in-charge in his own Assembly seat was viewed as a setback to his political standing and influence in the area.

The resignations of the two legislators come at a crucial time for the AAP, which is facing a political challenge ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.

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