Raghav Chadha, the Rajya Sabha MP who recently crossed over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has been appointed Chairman of the Committee on Petitions of the Upper House. The appointment was made as part of a panel reconstitution ordered by Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan, according to an official statement issued on Sunday, 23 May. The committee was formally reconstituted on 20 May.

Committee Composition

Alongside Chadha, the reconstituted panel includes members Jebi Mather Hisham, Harsh Mahajan, Gulam Ali, Mayankkumar Nayak, Masthan Rao Yadav Beedha, Subhasish Khuntia, Rwngwra Narzary, Sandosh Kumar P., and Shambhu Sharan Patel. An official notification confirmed: 'Raghav Chadha has been appointed Chairman of the committee.'

The Defection That Preceded the Appointment

The chairmanship comes weeks after one of the most significant defections in recent Rajya Sabha history. In April, seven sitting AAP MPs — Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Vikram Sahney, Swati Maliwal, and Rajinder Gupta — formally joined the BJP, reducing AAP's Upper House strength from 10 to just 3. The move dealt a sharp organisational blow to the party ahead of a period of legislative activity in the Upper House.

Chadha's Allegations Against Punjab Government

Following the defection, Chadha met President Droupadi Murmu, raising concerns about the alleged misuse of state resources by the AAP-led government in Punjab. He claimed the Punjab administration had engaged in 'political vendetta' by allegedly deploying police and administrative machinery to target the MPs who had left AAP. The allegations have not been independently verified.

Punjab CM Mann's Sharp Rebuttal

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was unsparing in his response. 'Those who are terming this defection as the order of the day or a tradition are justifying a grave disregard for the people's verdict. This is unacceptable, and those speaking in such a manner appear to be preparing to shift their allegiance,' Mann said. He further stated that the MPs who 'disrespected the mandate of the people deserve no mercy as they are the traitors of Punjab and Punjabis.' Notably, the defecting MPs have not been disqualified under the anti-defection law, a legal question that observers say could surface in coming weeks.

What This Means Going Forward

Chadha's elevation to a committee chairmanship signals a swift integration into the BJP's parliamentary structure. The Committee on Petitions examines public petitions referred by the Rajya Sabha and can recommend government action — a role that carries quiet but real institutional weight. Whether Chadha's new position translates into legislative influence will become clearer when the committee takes up its first set of petitions under his stewardship.