NEW DELHI, Nov. 2 -- In a setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, three of its legislators - Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh - joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, days after differences with the party leadership came to the fore.
The three leaders formally joined the BJP at its headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of senior party functionaries, including Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and state in-charge Satish Poonia. Pathanmajra, who represents Sanour in Patiala district, and former Punjab minister Jouramajra, the MLA from Samana, resigned from the AAP on Sunday. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a former IPS officer representing Amritsar North, announced his resignation from the Punjab Legislative Assembly on Monday before joining the BJP. The developments came shortly after the AAP announced its first list of 40 candidates for the Assembly elections scheduled for next year.
Following their induction into the BJP, the three leaders criticised the AAP government over its handling of law and order, drug trafficking, corruption and the state's financial position. Pathanmajra alleged that the Bhagwant Mann-led government had failed to fulfil its promises and accused the ruling party of allowing Punjab's debt burden to increase substantially. He said the BJP could provide an alternative political direction for the state, particularly in tackling drug abuse and addressing farmers' concerns.
Jouramajra, who previously served as a minister in the Mann government, accused the AAP administration of failing to control crime and alleged irregularities in several government schemes. He said Punjab needed a government capable of working closely with the Centre to address its economic and security challenges. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, meanwhile, said the state's deteriorating condition had prompted him to reconsider his political association with the AAP. The former police officer described his time with the party as a learning experience and called for efforts to address drug trafficking, extortion, organised crime and corruption.
The resignations came a day after the AAP released its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Assembly elections. The party did not announce candidates for Sanour and Samana, the constituencies represented by Pathanmajra and Jouramajra, respectively. The AAP had earlier appointed new constituency in-charges in both Assembly segments, fuelling speculation that the leadership was considering alternative candidates. Ranjodh Hadana was appointed in-charge of Sanour, while former Shiromani Akali Dal minister Surjit Singh Rakhra was given responsibility for Samana.
Pathanmajra's relations with the AAP leadership had deteriorated following his criticism of the state government's handling of floods in his constituency. Jouramajra, meanwhile, had been dropped from the Punjab Cabinet in September 2024. Both leaders had also accused the AAP's Delhi-based leadership of interfering in the functioning of the Punjab government. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who was suspended from the AAP earlier this year, announced his resignation from the Punjab Assembly through a Facebook post on Monday. Sharing a copy of his resignation letter addressed to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, he thanked the people of Amritsar North for their support. The former IPS officer said he had completed approximately 90 per cent of the development work he had planned for his constituency and reiterated his commitment to transparent administration.
Singh had joined the AAP ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. Before entering politics, he headed the Special Investigation Team investigating the 2015 police firing incidents following the sacrilege controversy in Punjab. His resignation from the Assembly came after a prolonged period of differences with the party leadership. The AAP criticised the BJP for inducting the three leaders, maintaining that the party had already taken disciplinary action against them over alleged anti-party activities. Punjab AAP president Aman Arora accused the BJP of providing political shelter to leaders against whom his party had acted.
The AAP also approached the Punjab Assembly Speaker seeking the disqualification of Pathanmajra and Jouramajra following their decision to join the BJP. The BJP, however, welcomed the defections, with its Punjab leadership alleging that public dissatisfaction with the Mann government was growing. The developments have brought renewed attention to internal disagreements within the AAP as political parties begin preparations for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.