NEW DELHI, Apr 27: Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan on Monday formally accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reducing the strength of Arvind Kejriwal’s party in the Upper House to just three members.
Following the development, the BJP’s tally in the Rajya Sabha has risen to 113.
The seven MPs who joined the BJP are Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Vikramjit Sahney, Swati Maliwal, and Rajinder Gupta.
The Rajya Sabha website has also updated its records, listing all seven MPs under the BJP.
Sources said the MPs had approached the Chairman on Friday, requesting to be recognised as BJP members after their merger, which has now been approved.
Meanwhile, the AAP had moved a petition before the Chairman on Sunday, seeking the disqualification of the seven MPs who switched sides. AAP leader Sanjay Singh confirmed that a plea was submitted demanding their termination from the House.
The development comes as a major setback for the AAP, after the seven MPs resigned from the party last week and announced their merger with the BJP, alleging that the Kejriwal-led party had deviated from its core principles and values. (Agency)
