New Delhi/Chandigarh, Nov 2 Three leaders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab switched to the BJP on Monday, marking a major defection ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.
Samana MLA Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Sanaur representative Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and former Amritsar North legislator Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh joined the BJP in the presence of its national general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Satish Poonia and Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon in Delhi.
The development came days after the AAP released the names of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Poonia welcomed the three rebel AAP leaders into party fold and said their “political, social and administrative background” will strengthen the party and its “victory mission” in Punjab.
“There is an undercurrent in favour of the BJP and anti-incumbency against the ruling AAP in Punjab. Drug menace is the biggest challenge in Punjab,” he said.
He said while chitta (adulterated heroin) has destroyed Punjab’s youth under AAP rule, “corruption and crime” are the other major challenges impacting the lives of the people in the border state.
Poonia said the AAP came to power in Punjab, promising that it would end the drug menace, but has failed to do so.
“Home Minister Amit Shah has asserted that drug abuse in Punjab will be eradicated by December 31, 2029,” he said, adding, “The BJP is committed to restore the former glory of Punjab.”
Addressing the press conference, Vijay Pratap Singh asserted that only the BJP can restore “peace and prosperity” in Punjab.
“Today, my five-year internship in AAP came to an end, and I am formally joining the BJP. With our experience, we will make every effort to restore peace and prosperity in Punjab,” Singh said. “Whatever responsibility is entrusted to us, we will fulfil it diligently.”
Welcoming the three former AAP leaders to the party, the Punjab BJP chief expressed happiness and said in Punjabi, “BJP ranks are growing day by day. Time has come for the AAP to go.”
Earlier in the day, suspended AAP MLA and former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said he has resigned as a legislator. In a post on Facebook, Singh said he has sent his resignation to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.
The speaker has accepted the resignation.
In June last year, Singh was suspended from the AAP for five years for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities.
In a communication to Punjab AAP president Aman Arora, Singh wrote, “This is to bring to your kind notice that I have tendered my resignation as a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly with effect from 1.11.2026. I hereby resign from all formats of the Aam Aadmi Party with immediate effect.
He also sent a copy of the letter to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.
In his Facebook post, Singh, while addressing his constituents, said he would remain indebted to them for the love and respect they showered upon him.
“With your support and the blessings of the Almighty, we must all work together in unity to rise above the politics of ribbon-cutting, and work towards making Punjab, which is currently plagued by drugs, extortion, gangsterism and corruption, a progressive and leading state once again,” Singh wrote.
He claimed that he has completed 90 per cent of his targets as an MLA.
On his biggest achievement, Singh said he has put an end to the ‘Mai-Baap’ culture in politics and has treated the public as his sole source of inspiration.
Jouramajra and Pathanmajra resigned from the party’s primary membership on Sunday.
Pathanmajra on Monday said he, too, has resigned from the Punjab Assembly, and shared the communication in this regard, sent to the speaker, on his Facebook page.
After resigning from the AAP, first-time legislators Jouramajra and Pathanmajra lashed out at the AAP government over various issues including the drug menace, state debt and not amending the anti-sacrilege law despite directions from the Akal Takht.
The AAP had recently appointed former Punjab minister Surjit Singh Rakhra as ‘halqa’ (constituency) in-charge in Samana, while Ranjodh Hadana was appointed halqa in-charge in Sanaur.
Rakhra is being seen as a likely AAP candidate from Samana, although the party is yet to make an official announcement in this regard.
Jouramajra was earlier appointed a minister, but was later dropped from the cabinet.
MLA from Sanaur, Pathanmajra had earlier raised questions over the functioning of the government.
A rape case was registered against Pathanmajra last year following a complaint by a Zirakpur-based woman, who alleged that he misrepresented himself as a divorcee, entered into a relationship with her and married her in 2021 while already being married.
Pathanmajra was arrested by Punjab Police from Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior in March this year, more than six months after he escaped from police custody in the rape case. In May, the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him regular bail in the case.
(PTI News)
