The Stories Behind 3 AAP Exits in Punjab: Controversy, Sidelining and Dissent

Haripriya 3 Nov 2026 3 min read 5 views

Three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders from Punjab — Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh — joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on November 2, 2026, after leaving the ruling party. Their exits have brought internal disagreements and political tensions within Punjab AAP into focus ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

The three leaders have different political backgrounds, and their departures are linked to separate controversies, disagreements and allegations of being sidelined within the party. While AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said the exits would not affect the party's prospects, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon indicated that more AAP leaders could join the BJP.

Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra: Controversies and strained relations

Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who represented Sanaur in Patiala district, has had a changing political journey, with previous associations with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), People’s Party of Punjab, Congress and Punjab Ekta Party before joining AAP in December 2020.

He won the Sanaur Assembly seat in 2022. However, his relationship with the AAP government deteriorated after he was booked in alleged rape and illegal mining cases in September 2025. He was declared a proclaimed offender in December 2025 and arrested near Gwalior in March 2026. He was subsequently granted bail in both cases in May.

After joining the BJP, Pathanmajra alleged that leaders who raised issues concerning Punjab and their constituencies were being targeted. He also criticised the state government's record and expressed confidence that the BJP could address issues such as drug-related crime. These were his political allegations and claims, not established findings.

Chetan Singh Jouramajra: From Cabinet minister to political isolation

Chetan Singh Jouramajra, the MLA from Samana, was inducted into the Punjab Cabinet in July 2022 as Health and Family Welfare Minister.

He came under criticism after an incident during a hospital inspection in Faridkot, when he made Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Dr Raj Bahadur lie on a dirty mattress. He lost the Health portfolio in January 2023 and was eventually dropped from the Cabinet in September 2024.

His position within AAP reportedly weakened further after his former electoral rival, SAD leader Surjit Singh Rakhra, joined the party in May 2026. Jouramajra also began highlighting certain Union government schemes on social media.

After joining the BJP, he alleged that leaders from Delhi had excessive control over Punjab's government offices and elected representatives. He also questioned the difficulties faced by MLAs in approaching Union ministers for constituency-related work

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh: Dissent over sacrilege and police-firing cases

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a former IPS officer who represented Amritsar North, joined AAP in July 2021. He had earlier resigned from the police service after the Punjab and Haryana High Court set aside the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case and directed the formation of a fresh SIT without him.

He won the Amritsar North seat in the 2022 Assembly elections. However, he frequently expressed views that differed from the party's position and was suspended from AAP for five years in June 2025 over alleged anti-party activities.

Singh had joined AAP with the expectation that the party would deliver justice in the sacrilege and police-firing cases. He later expressed disappointment over the pace of progress. After joining the BJP, he described his five-year association with AAP as an “internship” and raised concerns about the drug menace and law-and-order situation in Punjab.

AAP dismisses the impact as BJP signals more exits

AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said the departure of the three leaders would make no difference to the party, arguing that public trust remained its biggest strength. The party maintained that it had already distanced itself from the departing legislators.

On the other hand, BJP state president Kewal Singh Dhillon welcomed the new entrants and suggested that more leaders could leave AAP. He also said the three leaders would receive recognition within the BJP.

The developments have added a new dimension to Punjab's political contest ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The reasons behind the three exits differ, but together they have drawn attention to questions of party discipline, internal disagreements and the political positioning of legislators before the next election.