New Delhi, April 27: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju welcomed seven Rajya Sabha members who switched from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday. Rijiju noted that these MPs have never used abusive language or displayed indiscipline in the House.
This development occurred as the Rajya Sabha released a new list of party positions, following the announcement by the seven AAP members of their decision to join the BJP.
With this shift, the BJP’s representation in the House increased from 107 to 113, while AAP’s representation dwindled to just three members.
The defectors—Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikram Sahni—revealed their decision to leave AAP for the BJP last week.
Rijiju stated on the social media platform X, “Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan has accepted the arrival of seven AAP MPs into the BJP. Now, Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikramjeet Singh Sahni are members of the BJP parliamentary party.”
Praising their conduct in Parliament, the minister remarked, “I have long observed that these seven MPs have never used abusive language or exhibited any form of indiscipline or unparliamentary behavior.”
Welcoming them to the BJP, he added, “Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, you are welcomed into the NDA, bidding farewell to the ‘Tukde Tukde India’ bloc.”
This move has further strengthened the BJP’s presence in the upper house of Parliament. Currently, AAP is represented by only three members: Sanjay Singh, Narayan Das Gupta, and Sant Balbir Singh.
The group of defectors included a two-thirds majority of AAP’s Rajya Sabha members.
According to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, added by the 52nd Amendment in 1985, members cannot defect, although an exception exists for “mergers.” If two-thirds of a party’s elected members agree to merge with another party, they are not disqualified, nor are members who choose to remain with the original party. Chadha and the other six cited this rule as the basis for their joining the BJP.
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S.A.K./V.C.
My name is Narendra Jijhontiya. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including TECHNOLOGY, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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