In a major setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, three of its prominent leaders—Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jouramajra, and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh—officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.
The trio arrived at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi and raised slogans of “BJP Zindabad” during their induction ceremony.
The political shift follows AAP’s release of its initial candidate list of 40 names, which notably omitted the Sanaur, Samana, and Amritsar North constituencies held by the leaders.
While Pathanmajra and former minister Jouramajra resigned on Sunday, former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh submitted his legislative resignation to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Monday morning.
Hitting out at AAP’s top leadership, the leaders cited Delhi-based interference, unfulfilled anti-drug commitments, rising crime, and governance failures as key reasons for their departure.
Emphasising national priorities, Pathanmajra said a BJP-led administration could drive significant regional growth. Meanwhile, AAP had already suspended the leaders for alleged anti-party activities and subsequently urged the Speaker to cancel their Assembly memberships.
The defections mark a sharp turn in state politics as parties gear up for the upcoming polls.
