In a setback to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, two of its legislators from Patiala district, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra, resigned from the party on Sunday and announced their decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Former cabinet minister and Samana MLA Jouramajra also announced his resignation through a social media post. Pathanmajra, the MLA from Sanaur, submitted his resignation to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, quitting the party with immediate effect. He expressed hope that a BJP government would put Punjab on the path of development, help the state overcome its debt burden and address farmers’ concerns.
Pathanmajra also announced that he would contest the 2027 assembly elections from Sanaur.
Confirming their decision to join the BJP, Pathanmajra said both leaders would be formally inducted into the party by BJP president Nitin Nabin in Delhi on Monday. Earlier reporting noted: AAP strayed from its founding ideals, says MLA Kunwar Vijay Suspended AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on Sunday slammed AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, alleging that the party had strayed from its founding ideals. He also cited the party’s promise to eradicate drugs, referring to Union home minister Amit Shah’s announcement on the issue. Reacting to the resignations, Punjab AAP president Aman Arora accused the BJP of accommodating leaders expelled by the party.
Jouramajra’s resignation also comes amid speculation that Rakhra could be considered for the Samana assembly ticket in 2027. Jouramajra, who served as a cabinet minister in the Bhagwant Mann government, was dropped from the cabinet in September 2024.
Explaining his decision, Pathanmajra said the BJP was a national party and Punjab could benefit significantly if it formed the government in the state. In a post on X, he said AAP had never hesitated to take action against leaders involved in corruption or working against Punjab’s interests. Targeting Pathanmajra, Arora referred to the rape allegations against him and said chief minister Bhagwant Mann had sent him to jail. Earlier reporting noted: “The book Swaraj, around which the party was founded, is now left only with me,” he posted on X, referring to the resignations of two sitting MLAs, former minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, from the party.
Earlier reporting noted: The Amritsar North legislator alleged that the party, founded on principles of Swaraj, had been reduced to a shadow of its original ideological vision under the joint government of Mann and Kejriwal.
