Punjab AAP leaders join BJP as party seeks action against two MLAs

Three Punjab AAP leaders joined the BJP at its national headquarters in Delhi on Monday, November 2, according to reports. They included Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra, both sitting legislators, and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who resigned as Amritsar North MLA on Monday.

Pathanmajra and Jouramajra had left AAP on Sunday, November 1. Their departures followed the release of the party's opening list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly election, which did not include either of their constituencies.

AAP plans approach to Assembly Speaker

AAP said it would ask the Assembly Speaker to cancel the legislative membership of Pathanmajra and Jouramajra. The party maintained that both had been suspended for alleged activities against the organisation before they gave up their primary membership.

Pathanmajra represents Sanaur, while Jouramajra represents Samana in Patiala district. Jouramajra previously held a cabinet position in the Bhagwant Mann government but was removed during the September 2024 reshuffle.

The Punjab AAP departures also followed changes to constituency responsibilities. Ranjodh Hadana had been appointed in charge of Sanaur and former Shiromani Akali Dal minister Surjit Singh Rakhra given responsibility for Samana.

The departing legislators criticised the state government's record on drugs, debt and governance. Their allegations remain political claims; AAP leaders responded by accusing the BJP of taking in politicians who had been rejected or expelled by other parties.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a former IPS officer, had been suspended from AAP for five years in June last year over alleged anti-party activity. After joining the BJP, he criticised the Punjab government's handling of unemployment and public order.

The changes come with the state election due in 2027. Pathanmajra has said he intends to contest again from Sanaur.

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