3 AAP Leaders Switch Sides; What Does It Mean for BJP in Punjab?

AAP Leaders Join BJP Punjab 2026: Three prominent Aam Aadmi Party leaders have joined the BJP in Punjab, raising questions about the ruling party's internal cohesion and the BJP's political positioning ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Published: Nov 02, 2026, 01:36 PM | Updated: Nov 02, 2026, 01:44 PM

AAP Leaders Join BJP Punjab 2026: Three Aam Aadmi Party leaders have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. | Courtesy: X/BJP

AAP Leaders Join BJP Punjab 2026: Punjab's political alignments changed dramatically on Monday, with three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and singing its praises. The timing is crucial, as the development comes just two days after the AAP leadership announced 40 candidates for the 2027 state elections, scheduled to be held in February or March next year. The early release of the list indicated that the party intended to begin its campaigning well in advance. However, how far it can go amid internal rifts within the ruling party's Punjab unit is now an open question.

The prominent state leaders who shifted to the BJP include former IPS officer and high-profile legislator Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who quit the AAP only on Sunday, saying that the politics of ribbon-cutting ceremonies should be abandoned for the betterment of Punjab, which is plagued by drug abuse and other serious issues

Key Takeaways

Triple Defection: Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh (Amritsar North), Chetan Singh Jouramajra (Samana), and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra (Sanour) formally joined the BJP at its national headquarters.
Resignation from Vidhan Sabha: Singh tendered his resignation to Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan with effect from 1 November 2026, alongside resigning from all primary forms of AAP membership.
Critique of AAP Governance: Singh accused the current leadership of destroying the party's founding "Swaraj" ideology and failing to curb corruption, extortion, and the drug trade in Punjab.
Political Context: The exits immediately follow AAP’s declaration of its first 40 election candidates, which includes sitting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and jailed minister Sanjeev Arora.

It should be noted that the three leaders were not included in the 40-candidates lits AAp released. However, no other candidates were fielded on their seats too. With 77 out of 117 assembly seats remaining to be declared, the party is expected to name its candidates for these three constituencies in a subsequent candidate list.

ਅੱਜ ਸਮਾਣਾ ਤੋਂ ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਚੇਤਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੌੜਾਮਾਜਰਾ ਜੀ ਨੇ ਇਸਤੀਫ਼ਾ ਦੇ ਦਿੱਤਾ। ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਹਰਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਪਠਾਣਮਾਜਰਾ ਜੀ ਨੇ ਵੀ ਇਸਤੀਫ਼ਾ ਦੇ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। >ਮੈਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਠੀਕ ਪੰਜ ਸਾਲ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ 2021 ਦੇ ਨਵੰਬਰ ਮਹੀਨੇ ਵਿੱਚ 26 ਤਾਰੀਖ਼ ਨੂੰ ਮੈਂ ਸਮਾਣਾ ਜਾ ਕੇ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਹੱਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਚੋਣ ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ ਸੀ। >ਜਿਸ “ਸਵਰਾਜ” ਨੂੰ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਇਹ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਹੋਈ ਸੀ, ਉਹ ਕਿਤਾਬ ਵੀ ਸਿਰਫ ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ਹੀ ਰਹਿ ਗਈ ਹੈ। >ਸਾਰੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿੱਚ ਹਰ ਪਾਸੇ ਕ੍ਰਾਈਮ, ਨਸ਼ਾ, ਫਿਰੌਤੀ ਅਤੇ ਗੈਂਗਸਟਰਵਾਦ ਦਾ ਬੋਲਬਾਲਾ ਹੈ। >ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਗੈਂਗਸਟਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਖਿਲਾਫ ਮੈਂ ਅੱਜ ਵੀ ਬਤੌਰ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਅਫ਼ਸਰ ਗਵਾਹੀ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਕੋਰਟ ਕਚਹਿਰੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ, ਉਹ ਜਾਂ ਉਹਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਕ ਮੈਂਬਰ ਹੁਣ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਜਾਂ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਦਾ ਅਹਿਮ ਹਿੱਸਾ ਬਣ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। >ਇੱਕ ਨੇ ਤਾਂ ਸਰੇਆਮ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਧਮਕੀ ਵੀ ਦੇ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਸੀ, ਇਕ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਉਸਦੀ ਸੱਜੀ ਬਾਂਹ ਬਣਕੇ ਇੱਕ ਸਮਾਗਮ ਦੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਇਆ ਸੀ। >ਅਸੀਂ ਬਹੁਤ ਮਿਹਨਤ ਕਰਕੇ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਨੂੰ ਖੜਾ ਕੀਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਤੋਂ ਇਲਾਵਾ ਤਕਰੀਬਨ 78 ਚੋਣ ਹਲਕਿਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਚੋਣ-ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ ਸੀ। ਇਹ ਵੱਖਰੀ ਗੱਲ ਹੈ ਕਿ 10 ਮਾਰਚ 2022 ਨੂੰ 92 ਸੀਟਾਂ ਤੇ ਜਿੱਤ ਦਰਜ ਕਰਨ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਮੁਖੀ ਨੇ ਮੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ ਅੱਜ ਤੱਕ ਕੋਈ ਗੱਲ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤੀ। >ਆਖ਼ਿਰਕਾਰ ਭਗਵੰਤ ਮਾਨ ਅਤੇ ਅਰਵਿੰਦ ਕੇਜਰੀਵਾਲ ਦੀ ਮਿਲੀ-ਜੂਲੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨੇ ਸਵਰਾਜ ਦੀ ਕ੍ਰਾਂਤੀ ਤੋਂ ਨਿਕਲੀ ਇੱਕ ਕਰਾਂਤੀਕਾਰੀ ਸੋਚ ਵਾਲੀ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਨੂੰ ਜੜੋਂ ਖਤਮ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ।
— Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh (@Kvijaypratap) November 1, 2026

High-Profile Exit from Amritsar North

Singh is a former top police officer who led the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the contentious 2015 Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan police firing cases, took to social media to confirm his exit. In letters addressed to Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan and state AAP president Aman Arora, with a copy forwarded to national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Singh stated he was severing all ties with the party.

Addressing his constituents in Amritsar North, Singh called for a structural shift in the region's governance, and said, "With your support and the blessings of the Almighty, we must all work together in unity to rise above the politics of ribbon-cutting, and work towards making Punjab, which is currently plagued by drugs, extortion, gangsterism and corruption, a progressive and leading state once again. My sole objective is 'Punjab First'."

Singh's discontent with the party hierarchy had been growing for several months. In June 2025, he was suspended from the AAP for alleged anti-party activities after questioning Vigilance Bureau proceedings against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. Singh was also a vocal critic of the state's handling of the 2015 sacrilege probes and a lethal spurious liquor incident in Amritsar. In a biting critique posted over the weekend, Singh remarked that the core principles outlined in Arvind Kejriwal's book "Swaraj" had been entirely abandoned by the current administration.

A Coordinated Exodus

Singh’s formal resignation arrived on the heels of similar moves by two other AAP legislators from Patiala district. Chetan Singh Jouramajra, representing Samana, and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, representing Sanour, both resigned from AAP’s primary membership on Sunday before joining Singh at the BJP headquarters on Monday afternoon.

Defecting Legislator	Constituency	Background / Prior Role
Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh	Amritsar North	Former IPS Officer; SIT Lead on 2015 Sacrilege Cases
Chetan Singh Jouramajra	Samana	Sitting MLA, Patiala District
Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra	Sanour	Sitting MLA, Patiala District

The sudden departures have somewhat overshadowed the AAP's attempt to gain an early edge in candidate selection. The party's first candidate list retained heavyweights such as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann (Dhuri) and Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Kotkapura). Notably, the list also re-nominated Ludhiana West candidate Sanjeev Arora, who remains in judicial custody following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering probe.

Electoral Strategy and Implications

The inductions represent a strategic win for the BJP, which has been seeking to build a formidable standalone footprint across Punjab following the collapse of its traditional alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. By absorbing high-profile figures - particularly an ex-policeman with a reputation for targeting corruption and sacrilege cases - the BJP aims to bolster its credibility among rural and urban electorates alike.

ਭਾਜਪਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਇੰਚਾਰਜ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਸਤੀਸ਼ ਪੂਨੀਆ ਜੀ ਅਤੇ ਸੂਬਾ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਸ.ਕੇਵਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ ਜੀ ਦੀ ਅਗਵਾਈ ਹੇਠ ਭਾਜਪਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਹੋਣ ਵਾਲੇ AAP ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਚੇਤਨ ਜੋੜਾਮਾਜਰਾ, ਕੁੰਵਰ ਵਿਜੇ ਪ੍ਰਤਾਪ ਅਤੇ ਹਰਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਪਠਾਨਮਾਜਰਾ ਦਾ ਨਿੱਘਾ ਸਵਾਗਤ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਾਂ। https://t.co/Rlh2kUAJXj
— BJP PUNJAB (@BJP4Punjab) November 2, 2026

For the AAP, which secured a landslide victory in 2022 by winning 92 of the state's 117 assembly seats, the immediate priority will be damage limitation. Stemming further disaffection within the parliamentary party will be essential if it hopes to project stability and retain its decisive mandate in the upcoming election cycle.

Tags:

#Arvind Kejriwal #BJP #Bhagwant Mann #aap #Punjab Assembly elections