Three AAP MLAs Join BJP Ahead Of Punjab Polls, Accuse Party Leadership Of Interference

On Monday, November 2, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit a major blow before the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections as three of its members — Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh — joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The three leaders reached the BJP headquarters in New Delhi and hoisted slogans of “BJP Zindabad” before formally taking the oath of membership in the presence of senior BJP leaders.

Pathanmajra, who holds the seat of Sanaur, and Jouramajra, the MLA from Samana, quit the AAP on Sunday. Amritsar North MP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh had resigned from the Punjab Assembly on Monday morning.

Resignations come after AAP's initial list of candidates

AAP on Wednesday announced its first list of 40 candidates ahead of the next set of elections to the Punjab Assembly, which took place the following day, when the resignations occurred. The party had yet to announce its candidates for Sanaur, Samana and Amritsar North.

Pathanmajra has tendered his resignation to the national convenor of AAP, Arvind Kejriwal while Jouramajra made the announcement on a social media page.

When asked about the reason for his move, Pathanmajra said that the BJP, as a national party, can offer great advantage to the province in case of its victory in the elections. He also mentioned the Union Home Minister Amit Shah's pledge recently to address the drug issue in the state.

Both leaders questioned the AAP's leadership when they left the party, accusing Delhi-based leaders, especially Kejriwal and his senior aide Bibhav Kumar of interfering in the administration of Punjab.

They also blamed government on not doing anything about corruption, rising crime, extortion, snatching and gang violence and murders. The leaders also asked the government about the progress made on the guarantee of a drug free Punjab.

AAP on the other hand, called upon the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly to cancel the membership of the two MLAs. Both had been suspended earlier for alleged anti-party activities, the party said.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh resigns from Assembly

On his Facebook page, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh posted a copy of his resignation letter to Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.

In his post, he expressed gratitude to the individuals who helped him and added that he intended to work towards the reconstruction of Punjab, which he termed as, “a state that is being ravaged by drugs, extortion, gang culture and corruption.”

He also emphasized clean politics and transparent administration, which he termed “Punjab First”.

The retired IPS officer has been known for his opposition views and in June was suspended from AAP for five years. Prior to becoming a politician, he led the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which investigated police firing incidents on two Sikh protesters in 2015, after the incidents of post-sacrilege.

He was inducted into AAP before the elections in Punjab in 2022 to the Punjab Assembly.

The three legislators' departure arrives at a critical juncture for AAP, as the party gears up for the 2027 elections, as the political battle in the state gets underway ahead of the polls.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susmita Modak

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Always love to raise the unraised matter. In a world of worries, I am always ready to come over my comfort zone and taking the step ahead of spreading awareness.

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