A political shift unfolded on Friday as Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab representing the Aam Aadmi Party, announced that he has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, along with a significant section of his party colleagues in the upper house.

Speaking at a press conference, Chadha said that more than two-thirds of AAP members in the Rajya Sabha had decided to merge with the BJP. He was flanked by fellow AAP MPs Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal during the announcement.

“We have decided that we, the two-thirds members belonging to the AAP in Rajya Sabha, exercise the provisions of the Constitution of India and merge ourselves with the BJP,” Chadha said, reading from a prepared statement. He did not elaborate further on the internal process leading up to the decision.

The move follows months of reported strain between Chadha and sections of the AAP leadership. While details of those tensions have not been publicly outlined in the announcement, the timing suggests a culmination of internal differences that had been building over a period.

No immediate response from the AAP leadership was available at the time of the announcement. The party’s official position on the claimed merger of its Rajya Sabha members remains unclear, and it is not yet known how many MPs are part of the group referenced by Chadha.

The BJP has also not issued a detailed statement beyond the joint appearance at the press conference.

For now, the development introduces a sudden realignment in the Rajya Sabha, at least as described by those involved. The extent of its impact will likely depend on formal confirmations and any responses that follow from the AAP leadership.