3 AAP MLAs join BJP ahead of Punjab Assembly elections

Three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs in Punjab joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, dealing a setback to the ruling party months before the state Assembly elections.

Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jauramajra and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who represent Sanaur, Samana and Amritsar North constituencies respectively, formally joined the BJP at its headquarters in New Delhi. The induction took place in the presence of Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon and the party's state in-charge Satish Poonia.

The BJP is reportedly considering fielding all three leaders from their existing constituencies in the upcoming elections. Their departure follows the resignations of Jauramajra and Pathanmajra from AAP on Sunday, while Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh announced his exit from the Assembly on Monday.

Singh, a former IPS officer, had emerged as a prominent AAP face before the party's victory in 2022. However, differences with the leadership intensified after he criticised the arrest of Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. AAP subsequently suspended him for five years in June 2025.

The developments come as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's government faces mounting opposition criticism over drug-related deaths, crime and governance. AAP had secured 92 of the 115 Assembly seats in the 2022 elections, but defections and internal differences have added to its challenges ahead of the next polls.