Kothi No 50 barbs fly after Chadha's defection to BJP; Punjab AAP MPs flag powers he held

The article summarises Chadha’s defection with six other AAP RS MPs, the Kothi No 50 controversy, and reactions from Punjab leaders.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann holds a press conference in Chandigarh, calling the defectors 'gaddar' (traitors) and referencing the legacy of Kothi No 50 as a power centre.

Raghav Chadha leads six other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs in defecting to the BJP, marking a major party realignment.

Congress-turned-BJP MP Ravneet Singh Bittu tells The Indian Express that Chadha was the 'all-in-all' of the AAP and hints at internal secrets Chadha might reveal, noting Chadha’s shift from the party.

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar posts on X that Chadha acted as the 'super CM' in Punjab, suggesting he wielded outsized influence and casting doubt on the elected chief minister's role.

Raghav Chadha votes in Punjab during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Bhagwant Mann is sworn in as Punjab chief minister. He states that government houses are allotted to the CM and ministers, and describes Kothi No 50 in Sector 2 as the chief minister’s camp office/guest house, part of his residence holdings.

Chadha used Kothi No 50 during visits to Chandigarh; the residence, under the CM’s camp office quota, became associated with Chadha’s influence and was described by opponents as a 'parallel centre of power' in Punjab.

After a landslide in Punjab, AAP fills its Rajya Sabha nominations for all seven seats from the state. Raghav Chadha is among the first picks, with some critics noting the prominence of Chadha and Pathak as new faces from outside the traditional Punjab political sphere.