AAP senior leader and Member of Rajya Sabha, Raghav Chadha. File.
| Photo Credit: Sansad TV via PTI
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday (April 2, 2026) submitted a letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to appoint MP Ashok Mittal as Deputy Leader of the party in the Rajya Sabha, replacing MP Raghav Chadha, according to party sources.
According to sources quoted by PTI, the letter also states that Mr. Chadha — who is also a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab — should not be allotted time for speaking in the House from the AAP’s quota.
The move comes amid Mr. Chadha’s prolonged silence on matters related to the AAP, and his absence from several public events led by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Once considered a close confidant of Mr. Kejriwal and among the youngest MPs in the country, Mr. Chadha had played a key role in party affairs, particularly in Punjab and during the AAP’s tenure in Delhi.
Party leaders claimed Mr. Chadha has been increasingly sidelined from political campaigns and organisational matters of the party in other States, although he has been vocal inside and outside Parliament, raising issues such as high airfares and the condition of gig workers.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Mittal said the party’s national convener has entrusted him with the role of AAP’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, and he will discharge his duties sincerely and present both the party’s stance and national interests forcefully in the House.
Downplaying the change, he termed it a routine process, noting that earlier N.D. Gupta was the deputy leader of the party in the Upper House, and then Mr. Chadha was given the responsibility.
“Now, I have been given this role. Our party wants all MPs to learn, and probably in that context, I have been given this role so that I can learn the processes and administrative skills in politics,” he said, adding that the party remains strong.
The AAP currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
‘Normal process, no specific reasons’: Mittal
Meanwhile, Mr. Mittal, on Thursday (April 2, 2026) termed the removal of Mr. Chadha as a normal process of the party having no specific reasons behind it.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Mittal, said that he has no knowledge about rumours that Mr. Chadha might join the BJP in the wake of being replaced as deputy leader in the House.
He, however, said that his predecessor will be given time to speak in the Rajya Sabha.
Mr. Mittal, however, said, “Everyone gets time to speak in our party; it is a democratic process. Raghav Chadha will also be given time to speak in the Rajya Sabha in the future.” He asserted that AAP is a democratic party and gives responsibilities to its leaders, and added that the party will decide about Mr. Chadha’s role in the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
Published – April 02, 2026 02:40 pm IST
