AAP faces Punjab setback: Kunwar Vijay Pratap, Pathanmajra and Jouramajra join BJP in first major poll-bound defections
The development is deemed politically significant and being described as first major defections ahead of Punjab Assembly elections 2027.
PTC News Desk: In a major setback for Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, Kunwar Vijay Pratap, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra joined BJP on Monday at party headquarters in New Delhi, hours after they quit AAP.
The development is deemed politically significant and being described as first major defections ahead of Punjab Assembly elections 2027.
The three leaders joined the BJP in the presence of Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon. asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision for Punjab.
Also Read: Kunwar Vijay Pratap resigns as AAP MLA in big blow to party; third departure in two days
They said Punjab is now struggling to protect its identity, which they believe is under threat. They also claimed that Punjabi identity is fading and that disorder is widespread across the state.
Unemployment and debt at their peak in Punjab: Kunwar Vijay Pratap
MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap said, “Unemployment in Punjab is at its highest. Industries have collapsed, and people across the state are facing difficulties. Punjab’s administration is being run with borrowed money. Peace and prosperity must be restored, and I believe this can be achieved only through the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.”
After joining the BJP, Kunwar alleged that gangsters had become part of the government and that an extortion network was operating in the state.
The three MLAs resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party over the past two days. AAP had suspended them for five years in June 2025 over alleged anti-party activities.
AAP said it would ask the Assembly Speaker to cancel the membership of the Samana and Sanaur MLAs. Before joining the BJP, Kunwar Vijay Pratap visited Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi. BJP leader Ravikaran Singh Kahlon and Jathedar Joga Singh, head of Tarnadal Shaheedan, were also present.
Good leaders are leaving AAP: Kewal Dhillon
Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon welcomed the three MLAs to the party. He said their views and ideas would be respected.
Dhillon said good leaders were leaving AAP and claimed that the party’s “broom” symbol had broken apart. He added that the BJP would welcome any leader who wanted to join it. He also alleged that AAP had betrayed the people of Punjab and wasted five years of the state’s time.