Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singhand and Chetan Singh Jouramajra resigned from AAP on Sunday
Both Punjab MLAs from Patiala district said they would join the Bharatiya Janata Party
The resignations came after AAP released its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 assembly elections
In a shake up for the Aam Aadmi Party, three MLAs, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh quit the party and have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as on Monday. This move comes ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh announced his resignation as a legislator of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha earlier today via Facebook
His resignation from the Punjab Assembly comes just a day after AAP legislators, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra resigned from the party.
The two Aam Aadmi Party MLAs from Punjab’s Patiala district quit the party ahead of the 2027 assembly elections on Sunday and said they would join the Bharatiya Janata Party.
According to ANI, AAP is to request the Assembly Speaker to cancel the membership of both MLAs. AAP had already suspended both MLAs due to anti-party activities. Following this, both MLAs resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party.
The resignations came a day after AAP released its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 polls. The party has not yet named candidates for Sanaur or Samana, the two seats held by the outgoing MLAs. Pathanmajra submitted his resignation to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal with immediate effect, while Jouramajra announced his exit in a social media post. The resignations have added to pressure on the ruling party in Punjab as it prepares for the next assembly election.
BJP Induction Plans
Both leaders are due to enter the BJP on Monday. Pathanmajra told AP they would be formally inducted by BJP president Nitin Nabin in Delhi.
He said he chose the BJP because it is a national party and Punjab could gain if it formed the government in the state. He also pointed to the party’s promise to eradicate drugs and an announcement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.
Pathanmajra said a BJP government would put Punjab on the path of development, ease the state’s debt burden and address farmers’ concerns. He also said he would contest the 2027 assembly elections from Sanaur.
AAP Ticket Tensions
The resignations have brought fresh focus to tensions inside the Punjab AAP unit. The differences have centred on constituency appointments and the party’s electoral planning.
AAP recently appointed Ranjodh Hadana as in-charge for Sanaur. It also named former Shiromani Akali Dal minister Surjit Singh Rakhra as in-charge of Samana.
Those moves led to speculation that AAP was weighing replacement candidates in both constituencies. That, in turn, raised the prospect of the sitting MLAs being sidelined.
Pathanmajra’s Fallout
Pathanmajra’s ties with the party had worsened earlier. The strain deepened after he publicly criticised the Punjab government’s handling of floods in his constituency.
His rift with AAP widened further after he was implicated in a rape case. During a police operation to arrest him, he escaped and was later arrested in Gwalior.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court later granted him bail. That sequence had already damaged his standing within the party before his resignation.
Jouramajra’s Exit
Jouramajra’s departure also comes amid talk over AAP’s plans for Samana. Speculation has grown that Rakhra could be considered for the seat in 2027.
Jouramajra had served as a cabinet minister in the Bhagwant Mann government. He was dropped from the cabinet in September 2024.
Sharp Attacks Follow
After quitting AAP, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra attacked the party leadership. They accused Delhi-based leaders, especially Kejriwal and his close aide Bibhav Kumar, of interfering in Punjab’s governance.
They also criticised the state government over alleged corruption, rising crime, snatching incidents, extortion, gang violence and murders. They questioned its failure to keep its promise of making Punjab drug-free.
Punjab AAP president Aman Arora hit back and accused the BJP of accommodating leaders expelled by AAP. In a post on X, he said the party had never hesitated to act against leaders involved in corruption or working against Punjab’s interests. Referring to the rape allegations against Pathanmajra, Arora said chief minister Bhagwant Mann had sent him to jail.
Senior BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu also posted on X after the resignations. Writing in Hindi, “The picture has just begun,” he hinted at more political movement in the ruling party.
The developments come as Punjab’s political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 Assembly elections. With AAP announcing its first list of 40 candidates and the BJP inducting three former AAP leaders, the defections mark an early shift in the state’s electoral landscape. The exits could add to the pressure on the ruling AAP as it seeks a second consecutive term, while the BJP looks to strengthen its presence in Punjab ahead of the polls.
