AAP to BJP: Seven who switched as Raghav Chadha leads exodus

Vikramjit Singh Sahney, 64

Businessman-philanthropist, who never aligned with AAP

Businessman, philanthropist and a vocal supporter of BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vikramjit Singh Sahney never publicly aligned himself with AAP, though the party had nominated him to Rajya Sabha in 2022 from Punjab.

The founder and owner of the Sun Group, he is known for his social works, including helping in evacuation of 500 Afghan Hindus and Sikhs after the Taliban had taken over. His NGO, Sun Foundation, supports Afghan refugee families. Its programme ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ claims to have supported over 15,000 women. Under its ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, Sahney claimed to have adopted a slum in Mumbai.

A sufi singer, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2008. From Akshay Kumar to Priyanka Chopra, and Sheikhs of UAE to King of Jordan, Queen Elizabeth II to steel magnate Laksmi Niwas Mitttal — Sahney flaunts his meetings with one and all on his Instagram page.
Reporter: Divya Goyal Gopal

Ashok Mittal, 62
A switch 10 days after ED raid

Ashok Mittal, Chancellor of Lovely Professional University (LPU), joined BJP barely 10 days after facing an ED raid and just weeks after being appointed AAP Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha, replacing Raghav Chadha.

A first-time MP since 2022, Mittal, a law graduate, grew up around the well-known local brand ‘Lovely Sweets’, founded by his father. In 1991, the family diversified into the automobile sector with ‘Lovely Autos’.

In 2000, Mittal steered the family into education by establishing the Lovely Institute of Management. This venture laid the foundation for what would become one of North India’s largest private universities – LPU, established in 2005. With

Mittal as Chancellor, LPU grew from a modest campus into a sprawling 600-acre institution, hosting over 35,000 students.

On April 15, the ED carried out searches at Mittal’s Jalandhar residence as well as at multiple locations linked to his institution in connection to a suspected money-laundering probe.
Reporter: Anju Agnihotri Chaba

Sandeep Pathak, 47

Professor who played key role in Delhi, punjab wins

Mockingly called AAP’s “super strategist” because of its successive electoral defeats since he was appointed as the party’s first national general secretary (organisation), Sandeep Pathak’s name in the list of seven Rajya Sabha MPs who joined the BJP was perhaps the most surprising.

The former IIT Delhi professor had been elected to the Upper House in April 2022, just months before he was chosen for the organisational post, underlining his closeness to then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A “numbers guy”, his penchant for statistics is said to have captured Kejriwal’s fancy.

He also holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and was feted for having played “a significant role” in the party’s sweep in both 2020 Delhi and 2022 Punjab elections. However, over the last four years, Pathak was sidelined, due to one electoral setback after another, especially AAP’s losses in the 2024 Lok Sabha and the 2025 Delhi polls.
Reporter: Jatin Anand

Rajinder Gupta, 66

Punjab’s richest politician

Ever since he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in October 2025, Rajinder Gupta came to be defined as the richest politician in Punjab.

Gupta, who founded textiles major Trident Group, has a net worth of over Rs 10,600 crore.
He began his business journey in 1985 with Abhishek Industries, initially dealing in fertilisers, before diversifying into textiles in 1991. This marked the beginning of the Trident Group, which expanded into home textiles, paper, chemicals and power, with exports to over 150 countries.

In August 2022, Gupta stepped down as Chairman and Managing Director and took on the role of Chairman Emeritus. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.

He publicly backed the India-US trade deal, even as AAP criticised if. By March 30, his office said he was in the US for a likely third heart surgery. He had remained largely absent from the political scene since then.
Reporter: Raakhi Jagga

Harbhajan Singh, 45

Kept throwing doosras at AAP

Nominated to Rajya Sabha in 2022 by AAP, soon after it assumed power in Punjab, Harbhajan Singh had given hints at not being on the same page with party as early as January 2024 when he said he would participate in the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram’s idol in Ayodhya. He was then the only AAP leader at that time who had taken a stand which was seen as “different” from the party.

In March 2025, the Jalandhar born off-spinner had opposed the demolition of the properties of drug smugglers by the Punjab government. At that time, he was the only person from the party to speak against the demolition of drug smugglers’ properties in Punjab.

During his tenure in Rajya Sabha, he raised concerns around sports infrastructure, youth development, and drug abuse in Punjab, while also engaging actively during crises such as last year’s floods in the state.
Reporter: Anju Agnihotri Chaba

Swati Maliwal, 41

Assault by Kejriwal’s aide a turning point

An engineering student, Swati Maliwal left her job at HCL at the age of 22 to work in the slums and villages. She would go on to become one of the youngest members of the anti-corruption movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare in 2011.

Maliwal also had a brief stint as a campaigner for Greenpeace India, working to provide safe food to women and children in 2013. She has also worked with a range of NGOs to bring awareness of the RTI Act.

She became the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson in 2015 and quickly found herself facing allegations of irregularities in appointments made to the commission. While the friction between AAP and Maliwal had been simmering for months, the breaking point came after the alleged assault by Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar. After she alleged that she was assaulted, she faced accusations from within the party that she was operating as a BJP plant. She is the only MP from Delhi who joined BJP on Friday.