Is Raghav Chadha leaving Aam Aadmi Party? Rift deepens after Punjab CM Mann's ‘compromised’ remark
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Is Raghav Chadha leaving Aam Aadmi Party? Rift deepens after Punjab CM Mann's ‘compromised’ remark")
AAP MP Raghav Chadha speaks in Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament Photograph: (ANI)
Is Raghav Chadha leaving AAP? The MP’s removal as deputy leader, silence during Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, and fresh criticism from party leaders have intensified speculation ahead of the Punjab elections in 2027.
Aam Aadmi Party removed its Deputy leader MP Raghav Chadha and replaced him with Ashok Mittal on April 2, 2025. Chadha, once a close confidant of the AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, was perceived as silent during his incarceration by the CBI in the alleged liquor scam. He continued his silence when both Kejriwal and Sisodia were released in the same case and skipped the celebratory rally and press conference, drawing ire from fellow AAP leaders. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, on Friday, April 3, 2026, described him as “compromised” and focusing on “trivial matters”. He suggested that Chadha has shifted allegiance. In response, Chadha posted an Instagram video titled “silenced not defeated".
Is Raghav Chadha leaving AAP?
Sayantan Ghosh, in the book "The Aam Aadmi Party - The Untold Story of A Political Uprising and Its Undoing", writes, “According to some AAP insiders, Chadha's retreat from active politics coincided with his marriage to Parineeti Chopra.” While there had been speculation of Raghva Chadha leaving AAP, as the Punjab Legislative Assembly election fast approaches in 2027. There had been no clear statement from either Chadha or the AAP.
In the video shared by Chadha, he was raising questions on the AAP decision, “Whenever I get a chance to speak in Parliament, I speak on public-centred issues. I raise issues that are usually not taken up in the Parliament. Is speaking on public issues a mistake? Have I done something wrong?” Chadha further accused the party of trying to stop him from speaking in the parliament.
AAP leader suggested that the party's communication “did not even mention Chadha” and sought to appoint a new leader, Ashok Mittal. Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Chadha of not raising real issues against the central government and of focusing on "soft PR".
While Chadha had been raising issues that concern mostly the upper-middle class in the recent months, such as high airport food prices in Airports, telecom service provider's 28 days billing cycle, he cited his work for gig workers, middle-class tax burden, and strikes on content creators as one of the few "public issues" he was being "silenced" for raising.
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AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said in response to Chadha's video statement, “It is better to take up more serious issues than samosas in Parliament. We saw issues about voter list fraud. The opposition wanted to impeach CEC, but you refused to sign the motion. Whenever the opposition walks out of Parliament, you do not follow. You have not questioned the government recently. How do you continue the politics of fear?” Bharadwaj further accused that a day after his removal from the Deputy leader position, the BJP “actively promotes” him. Aatishi Marlena suggested that the BJP uses a mix of tactics like inducements, pressure, and temptation to poach leaders from competitors, and perhaps Chadha is also on the verge of defection. Some parts of the AAP leadership claimed it's a continuous process and has nothing to do with Chadha's politics. However, both the BJP and Congress termed the removal “highly objectionable”, while some among Congress called it an internal matter of the party.
