Defection jolt prompts AAP to close ranks in Punjab

Following the defections, the AAP’s Punjab unit started contacting all its MLAs to gauge the mood and to plan a united front ahead of next year’s assembly polls. The article notes that central leadership had approached some Punjab leaders on Friday, and that senior Punjab figures emphasised the need for better coordination and continuous dialogue. Malvinder Singh Kang, the Anandpur Sahib MP, stressed empowering ground workers and ensuring proper feedback from the right people, citing Pathak’s claim that he had not been contacted in the past year and suggesting regular engagement might have prevented the departure. Other Punjab leaders criticised centralisation of power, arguing that tickets, governance priorities and organisational appointments are controlled from Delhi, which, while enabling rapid growth, weakens ground-level leadership. Bhagwant Mann remained described as the party’s mass leader and communicator in Punjab. The piece also cautioned that further defections could shift loyalties and threaten the party’s development narrative ahead of elections.

Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak announced on Friday that they were merging with the BJP along with five other Rajya Sabha members: Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal. The defections are described as a bombshell exodus by party sources in Punjab and Delhi, reducing AAP’s Rajya Sabha strength.