Three AAP Leaders From Punjab Join BJP Ahead of 2027 Assembly Polls

In a setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, three of its leaders from the state joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a suspended AAP MLA and former IPS officer, joined the BJP alongside Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra at the party's headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of senior leaders.

Earlier on Monday, Singh, who represents the Amritsar North constituency, announced his resignation as a member of the Punjab Assembly. In a Facebook post, he said he had sent his resignation to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan.

Jouramajra, the MLA from Samana, and Pathanmajra, who represents Sanour in Patiala district, resigned from AAP's primary membership on Sunday.

Both legislators criticised the Bhagwant Mann government over several issues, including the drug menace, Punjab's rising debt and alleged governance failures.

Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh on Sunday, Jouramajra questioned the government's handling of the drug problem and criticised it over the murder of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa and the suicide of Dalit man Gulzar Singh in Sangrur. He also flagged teacher shortages in government schools and the government's failure to fulfil its promise of a minimum support price for crops.

Pathanmajra accused AAP leaders from Delhi of controlling the Punjab government, claiming that state leaders lacked the authority to approve even a single file.

The resignations came a day after AAP announced its first candidate for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The party had not declared candidates for Samana or Sanour, fuelling speculation about the legislators' political future.

Punjab AAP leaders Aman Arora and Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal had hit back at the BJP, accusing it of inducting leaders rejected by other parties.

The developments pose a fresh political challenge for AAP as it prepares to defend its position in Punjab in next year's Assembly elections.