New Delhi:In a major setback to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), seven out of 10 Rajya Sabha MP’s, includingRaghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Swati Maliwal, and Harbhajan Singh, joined the BJP, shifting the political landscape in Punjab and Delhi. Once touted as the AAP’s “poster boy”, managed to invoke the “two-thirds" merger clause of the Anti-Defection Law to avoid disqualification. Notably, the AAP had 10 MPs in the Upper House, and to prevent disqualification, a minimum of seven MPs are required to switch sides.

Addressing a press conference here, Chadha said that seven out of 10 Rajya Sabha MPs of AAP are set to merge with the BJP. "In the Rajya Sabha, the Aam Aadmi Party has 10 MPs. More than two-thirds of them are with us in this initiative. They have already signed, and this morning we submitted all the required documentation, including signed letters and other formal paperwork, to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Chadha said.

"As I mentioned, more than two-thirds of the MPs are supporting us, and we will provide you with the complete list shortly. Three of them are present here before you. In addition, there is world-class cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikram Sahney, and Swati Maliwal. The three present here are Ashok (Mittal) ji, Sandeep Pathak, and myself, " he added.

How Did Merger Take Place Without Disqualification?

The Anti-Defection Law, introduced through the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution in 1985 via the 52nd Amendment, disqualifies MPs and MLAs if they leave their party voluntarily or defy the party whip while voting. However, Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule allows MPs or MLAs to merge without disqualification. It states that if at least two-thirds of a legislative party’s members agree to merge with another party, they are protected from disqualification.

The AAP had 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha and the magic number to avoid disqualification was seven. Chadha ensured that there should not be any disqualification, so he waited for the consensus of the other six AAP MPs. The move reduced the APP’s strength in the Upper House significantly.

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The merger came days after Chadha was removed as the deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, indicating towrads a major rift in the Arvind Kejriwal-led party. The AAP alleged that Chahdha ignored the interests of the party. The merger took place amid the ongoing assembly polls in four states and a union territory. The move will also have an impact on the Punjab Assembly elections, which are scheduled to take place next year. As seven of the APP mPs who switched sides are from Punjab.

How Numbers Stack Up In The Rajya Sabha.

The AAP MPs switch will increase the BJP’s strength in the Upper House to 120, just three short of the major mark. Meanwhile, the entire strength of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) increased to 153 seats.

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