Last week on Friday evening, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chaddha announced his resignation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). At a press conference held at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, Chaddha revealed that six other AAP MPs had simultaneously quit the party and joined the BJP. The six legislators joining Raghav Chaddha in the move were Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikram Sahni.
During the press conference, Raghav Chaddha levelled serious allegations against Arvind Kejriwal, asserting that the party had drifted far from its founding principles. He emotionally stated that he had built the party with his own blood and sweat, and seeing it in its current state was deeply painful.
However, Raghav Chaddha is far from the first prominent face to walk out of AAP. Over the years, several high-profile leaders have parted ways with the party citing ideological differences, internal authoritarianism, and personal grievances. Here is a look at some of the biggest names who left AAP before Chaddha.
Big names who left AAP before Raghav Chaddha
1. Dr. Kumar Vishwas
Poet and orator Dr. Kumar Vishwas joined AAP in 2012 as one of its founding voices. By 2018, however, he had quietly begun distancing himself from the party after failing to align with the party leadership and being denied a Rajya Sabha ticket. Vishwas cited Arvind Kejriwal’s alleged mistreatment of him as a key reason for his disenchantment. While he never formally resigned, he gradually withdrew from all party activities and political functions.
2. Yogendra Yadav
Political analyst and activist Yogendra Yadav was one of the intellectual pillars of AAP, having been associated with it since the Anna Hazare movement. In 2015, he formally distanced himself from the party, citing a severe deficit of internal democracy and a departure from the party’s foundational values. Yadav argued that AAP was born out of a movement against corruption and exploitation, but was steadily moving away from those ideals. He subsequently launched his own political outfit, Swaraj Abhiyan.
3. Prashant Bhushan
Senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan was another founding member who publicly called out AAP’s leadership in 2015, labelling the party structure as authoritarian. He raised serious concerns about the lack of internal democracy and transparency within the organisation. The party responded by initiating disciplinary action against him and eventually expelled him. Notably, Bhushan’s father, senior Supreme Court lawyer Shanti Bhushan, had donated ₹1 crore to AAP at the time of its founding.
4. Shazia Ilmi
Former television journalist and lawyer Shazia Ilmi resigned from AAP in May 2014. She alleged that a select coterie around Arvind Kejriwal was effectively running the party, making decisions based on personal interests rather than the party’s welfare. Ilmi had contested the 2014 general elections from Ghaziabad but suffered a defeat. Shortly after, she left AAP and joined the BJP.
5. Kapil Mishra
Perhaps the most dramatic departure from AAP was that of Kapil Mishra in 2017. Mishra levelled explosive allegations of corruption against the party’s top leadership, claiming that Arvind Kejriwal had personally accepted a ₹2 crore bribe from then-minister Satyendar Jain. Following his allegations, Mishra was removed from the post of Water Minister by the Delhi government. He officially joined the BJP in 2019 and currently serves as a Cabinet Minister in the Delhi BJP government, holding charge of portfolios including Law & Justice, Labour & Employment, Development, Art & Culture, Language, and Tourism.
AAP’s Pattern of High-Profile Exits
The resignation of Raghav Chaddha and six other MPs is the latest — and perhaps the most significant — mass departure from AAP since its formation. A recurring theme across nearly all exits has been the allegation of centralised control, suppression of internal dissent, and a departure from the party’s original anti-corruption identity. Whether this latest wave of resignations signals a deeper structural crisis within AAP remains to be seen.
Which AAP Leaders Have Joined BJP After Leaving the Party?
Several prominent AAP leaders have crossed over to the BJP following their exit. Shazia Ilmi joined BJP shortly after resigning in 2014. Kapil Mishra made his switch official in 2019 and is today a Cabinet Minister in Delhi’s BJP government. Most recently, Raghav Chaddha along with six other AAP MPs — Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikram Sahni — announced their entry into the BJP in what is being seen as the most significant mass defection in the party’s history.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Raghav Chaddha stated that AAP had deviated from its founding principles and that Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership had become incompatible with the values he joined the party for. He announced his resignation alongside six other AAP MPs at a press conference in New Delhi.
Six other AAP MPs resigned alongside Raghav Chaddha — Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, Swati Maliwal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, and Vikram Sahni. All seven joined the BJP.
Several founding members and early pillars of AAP eventually left the party, including Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Dr. Kumar Vishwas, and Shazia Ilmi — all of whom cited internal democracy deficits and leadership conflicts as key reasons.
Across most exits, the recurring themes have been centralised control under Arvind Kejriwal, lack of internal party democracy, sidelining of dissenting voices, and a perceived drift away from AAP’s original anti-corruption mission.
Yes. Kapil Mishra officially joined the BJP in 2019 after being removed from his ministerial post in the AAP government. He currently serves as a Cabinet Minister in Delhi’s BJP government.
