States » NorthPosted at: Nov 2 2026 2:07PM


Three AAP MLAs join BJP ahead of 2027 Punjab assembly elections

Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Nov 2 (UNI) In a setback to Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, three sitting party legislators joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Monday.
The legislators former Punjab minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra (Samana), Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra (Sanaur) and former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh (Amritsar North), formally joined the BJP at its national headquarters in the national capital.
The development comes days after AAP announced its first list of 40 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections, triggering discontent among sections of the party over ticket distribution and the functioning of the state leadership.
Sources in the BJP said the three legislators were likely to be fielded from their existing Assembly constituencies, although the party has yet to make any formal announcement regarding their candidature.
Jauramajra and Pathanmajra announced their decision to leave AAP following the release of the first list, accusing the party leadership of ignoring elected representatives and failing to address concerns raised by legislators.
Their departure has drawn attention to growing differences between sections of the party's legislative wing and the leadership ahead of an election in which AAP will seek a second consecutive term.
Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh's decision to join the BJP carries particular political significance because of his association with investigations into the 2015 sacrilege incidents and subsequent police firing cases in Punjab.
The former IPS officer won the Amritsar North Assembly seat on an AAP ticket in 2022. However, he had repeatedly raised questions over the state government's handling of sensitive issues, including the progress of investigations into the sacrilege cases.
His differences with the party leadership had become increasingly public, and AAP suspended him in 2025 over alleged anti-party activities.
The latest defections also provide the BJP with three sitting legislators who have established political bases in their respective constituencies.
The BJP, which has been seeking to expand its presence in Punjab, is attempting to position itself as an alternative to both AAP and the Congress ahead of the next assembly elections.
The party has intensified its criticism of the Mann government over drug trafficking, law and order and governance, issues expected to feature prominently in the election campaign.
The developments have also raised questions about AAP's ability to contain internal dissent as it prepares to defend its overwhelming electoral victory of 2022, when it won 92 of the state's 117 assembly seats.
AAP leaders have accused the BJP of encouraging defections and attempting to weaken rival political parties.
The ruling party has also indicated that it would seek action against legislators who quit the organisation while continuing to hold assembly seats won on its ticket.
The three defections come at a politically sensitive time for the Mann government, with opposition parties stepping up their campaigns and political alignments beginning to take shape ahead of the 2027 contest.
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