Three rebel Aam Aadmi Party legislators joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, marking a major defection ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.
Samana MLA Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Sanaur representative Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Amritsar North legislator Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh joined the BJP in the presence of its national general secretary and Punjab affairs in-charge Satish Poonia and Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon in Delhi.
The development came days after the AAP released its first list of 40 candidates for the upcoming assembly polls.
Pathanmajra and Jouramajra resigned from the party on Sunday, while Kunwar Vijay submitted his resignation as an MLA on Monday. Jouramajra is yet to tender his resignation as an MLA.
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Speaker accepts Kunwar Vijay, Pathanmajra’s resignations
Hours after the induction, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan accepted the resignations of Kunwar Vijay and Pathanmajra. The AAP submitted a plea to Sandhwan, seeking disqualification of Jouramajra and Pathanmajra under the anti-defection law. However, Pathanmajra has resigned as a legislator.
{{/usCountry}}Hours after the induction, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan accepted the resignations of Kunwar Vijay and Pathanmajra. The AAP submitted a plea to Sandhwan, seeking disqualification of Jouramajra and Pathanmajra under the anti-defection law. However, Pathanmajra has resigned as a legislator.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, following a written request by AAP chief whip Baljinder Kaur, the Speaker issued a formal notice to Jouramajra over anti-party activities, seeking his explanation within two days. He has been directed to submit his response by November 5, an official said.
A former IPS officer, Kunwar Vijay, had taken premature retirement to join the AAP ahead of the 2022 assembly polls. He was suspended from AAP in June 2025 for allegedly indulging in anti-party activities. His suspension came days after he questioned the Punjab Vigilance Bureau action against SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who was arrested in a disproportionate assets case in June 2025.
As a police officer, Kunwar Vijay was part of the Punjab Police special investigation team (SIT) that probed the 2015 Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan police firing incidents. He had also questioned the AAP government’s handling of the sacrilege and police firing cases.
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Leaders criticise AAP and call for a “double-engine” government
The three leaders launched a scathing attack on their former party and the AAP government in Punjab after their formal induction into the BJP.
Describing his five-year stint with the AAP as an “internship period”, Kunwar Vijay said he was now formally joining the BJP with the objective of restoring peace and prosperity in Punjab. Referring to the state’s condition, he said Punjab was fighting for its existence and needed to rise above the politics of streets, drains and ribbon-cutting.
“Peace and prosperity can be restored in Punjab with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders. Whatever Modi has done for the country and Punjab is unprecedented in history,” the former cop said, adding that they would work in the BJP to rebuild the state.
Pathanmajra alleged that the state was saddled with a debt of around ₹2.5 lakh crore. He said AAP had initially presented an attractive vision but sidelined those who raised their voices against the government. He called for transforming the state into “Ubharta (rising) Punjab”.
Jouramajra, who was dropped from the cabinet in September 2024, alleged that the state’s condition had deteriorated over the past five years, pointing to the alleged mining mafia, scams in government schemes and deteriorating law and order. He argued that Punjab needed a “double-engine” government to ensure stability and development.
Welcoming the three leaders, Poonia said their political, social and administrative experience would strengthen the BJP’s campaign in Punjab. He alleged that drugs were the biggest challenge facing the state and accused the AAP government of failing to fulfil its promise of making Punjab drug-free. State BJP chief Kewal Dhillon said more AAP MLAs are expected to join the BJP in the coming days.