In a sharp rebuke, the Aam Aadmi Party has formally stripped its once-prominent MP of his leadership post and asked the Upper House secretariat not to allot him any speaking time — fuelling intense speculation that Chadha is headed for the BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party delivered one of its most pointed acts of internal discipline on Thursday, writing formally to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to remove MP Raghav Chadha from the post of Deputy Leader in the Upper House and to ensure that he is granted no speaking time from the party’s parliamentary quota.
In the same letter, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party requested that Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal — like Chadha, a representative from Punjab — be appointed as the new Deputy Leader. Neither Chadha nor Kejriwal had publicly responded to the development as of the time of publication.
“Ashok Kumar Mittal to be the new Deputy Leader of AAP in Rajya Sabha. AAP has sent an official letter on this to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.” — Aam Aadmi Party, official statement
The move comes after months of mounting unease between Chadha and the party’s central leadership. Sources within AAP told PTI that the leadership was particularly troubled by Chadha’s conspicuous silence following the acquittal of Kejriwal and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case — a moment when senior party figures were expected to publicly rally around the leadership.
A Rift Long in the Making
Whispers of Chadha’s disenchantment with AAP have circulated in Delhi’s political corridors for several months. His absence from the party’s list of star campaigners for Assam — a notable omission for someone who was once its most telegenic national spokesperson — had already set tongues wagging. The prevailing rumour is that Chadha is in talks to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, though no formal confirmation has emerged from either side.
His case is not the first to expose tension within AAP’s Rajya Sabha contingent. MP Swati Maliwal’s bitter public falling-out with the party leadership — after being allegedly pressured to vacate her seat — remains an unresolved wound. Maliwal continues to serve as an AAP MP in the Rajya Sabha, even as her relationship with the party has effectively collapsed.
Chadha’s Rise — and Rapid Fade
The irony of Chadha’s political muzzling is sharpened by his recent parliamentary record, which has been notably active on public interest fronts. Just weeks before his removal, he raised a pointed question in the Rajya Sabha about mobile data expiry, arguing that consumers who pay for a daily data allowance and fail to consume it in full should not simply forfeit the remainder at midnight. He proposed that telecom companies either roll over unused data to the following day or offer proportionate discounts on the next month’s recharge plan — citing precedents from the United States, Europe, the Netherlands, and Australia where such protections already exist.
Earlier this year, Chadha also advocated for making paternity leave a legal right, pushed for reform on the practice of “sarpanch pati” — where husbands effectively govern in place of women elected to reserved panchayat seats — and raised concerns over elevated food prices at airports and the rights of gig economy workers.
Who is Ashok Kumar Mittal?
Mittal, who now steps into the Deputy Leader’s role, has served as a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab since April 2022. He has been a member of the Committee on Defence and the Committee on Finance, and in February 2026 was appointed to the India–USA Parliamentary Friendship Group. He was also part of an all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi that visited Russia, Latvia, Slovenia, Greece, and Spain following the Pahalgam terror attack. His profile, though lower in public visibility than Chadha’s, reflects consistent institutional engagement within the parliamentary system.
For AAP, the reshuffle is simultaneously a disciplinary act and a strategic recalibration ahead of upcoming parliamentary sessions. Whether Chadha formally exits the party — or quietly retreats to the backbenches — is a question that Indian political observers will be watching closely in the days ahead.
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