New Delhi: After seven Rajya Sabha MPs of the Aam Aadmi Party reportedly joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, the party is now preparing to initiate action to remove them from Parliament.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has sought time to meet the President of India, aiming to press for cancellation of their membership. He plans to argue that the MPs have “betrayed” the party and should be recalled.
Mann is expected to be accompanied by MLAs who had originally voted to elect these members to the Rajya Sabha.
List of MPs involved
Among the seven MPs who switched sides, six are from Punjab, including Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahney, while Swati Maliwal represents Delhi.
Legal hurdles likely
Legal experts suggest that disqualification may be difficult, as more than two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs have moved together. Under anti-defection provisions, such a merger could be protected, limiting the scope for action.
Despite this, AAP is exploring constitutional options through the President to challenge the move and seek their removal.
