Chandigarh, April 25: In a sharp political warning that has rattled Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia declared on Friday, April 24, that the defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was only the beginning — and that a large number of AAP MLAs from Punjab would soon follow suit. The statement signals a deepening political crisis for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's government, which already faces mounting governance criticism.

Majithia's Explosive Warning: MLAs to Follow MPs Into BJP

Majithia, reacting to the high-profile departure of Sandeep Pathak and Raghav Chadha — two of AAP's most prominent architects in Punjab — along with five other Rajya Sabha MPs, said the writing had been on the wall for a long time. "The AAP came to power on the promise of changing the system but itself got embroiled in corruption and scams," he stated.

The SAD leader predicted that the political unraveling would begin in Jalandhar and Ludhiana, two of Punjab's most politically significant cities. He warned that AAP could lose its majority in the Punjab Assembly and be reduced to a minority government.

In his most pointed remark, Majithia alleged that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann himself may eventually join the BJP to protect what he called "ill-gotten wealth, including assets transferred to Australia" — a claim that remains unverified and which the AAP government has not officially responded to as of publication.

Outsiders vs. Insiders: The Rajya Sabha Seat Controversy

Majithia also questioned why CM Bhagwant Mann had allocated Rajya Sabha seats to leaders who were considered outsiders to Punjab, implying that such decisions sowed the seeds of internal resentment. This critique targets the AAP leadership's centralised decision-making model, long criticised by regional party units across states where AAP has operated.

Notably, Raghav Chadha, a Delhi-based leader, was given a Punjab Rajya Sabha seat — a move that had drawn criticism even within AAP circles at the time of his nomination. The departure of such figures now raises questions about the sustainability of AAP's cross-state political model.

Congress Calls It a War Over Punjab's Public Money

Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa of the Indian National Congress, offered a sharper ideological critique. He argued that the ongoing split within AAP in the Rajya Sabha has exposed the party's true character — one driven not by ideology but by a struggle over control of Punjab's state resources and public money.

"What is unfolding today is not a clash of principles but a conflict over power, patronage, and money," Bajwa said, asserting that AAP's politics in Punjab has been driven more by internal competition for access to the state exchequer than by genuine governance.

Bajwa also highlighted a striking contradiction: Raghav Chadha has publicly claimed he could not remain a partner in wrongdoing within the party, while CM Bhagwant Mann has alleged that Chadha and others left precisely because they were denied opportunities to indulge in corruption. "Both cannot be true simultaneously — and either way, it is the people of Punjab who lose," Bajwa implied.

The Bigger Picture: AAP's Structural Crisis

This is not the first time AAP has faced an internal rebellion. The party's founding members, including Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, had exited years ago citing ideological differences. What makes the current crisis different is its scale and its proximity to electoral power — AAP governs Punjab with a landslide mandate won in 2022, making any internal fracture directly consequential for governance.

Analysts note that AAP's centralised command structure, which concentrates power in Delhi even for state units, has historically created friction with local leaders. The defection of Punjab-linked Rajya Sabha MPs to the BJP — the very party AAP has consistently positioned itself against — underscores how far the internal discontent has travelled.

This development also comes at a critical juncture: with Delhi Assembly elections recently concluded and Bihar elections approaching, the BJP absorbing AAP defectors sends a strong political signal about the national opposition's fragility.

What Comes Next for Punjab's Political Landscape

If Majithia's prediction holds and AAP MLAs begin defecting from Jalandhar and Ludhiana, the Punjab government could face a floor test scenario — a constitutional crisis that would trigger political uncertainty across the state. The AAP currently holds a commanding majority with 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha, meaning a significant number of defections would be needed to destabilise the government.

However, political momentum and public perception can shift rapidly, and the optics of mass defection — even without a floor test — could severely weaken CM Bhagwant Mann's authority and administrative effectiveness ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. All eyes are now on whether the predicted MLA exodus materialises in the coming weeks.