Aam Aadmi Party removes Raghav Chadha as Rajya Sabha deputy leader
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has formally removed Raghav Chadha from the post of its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha and has proposed Ashok Mittal as the new deputy leader of the party in the Upper House.
What the move entails
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AAP has sent an official letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat asking that Chadha no longer be allotted time to speak in the House from the party’s speaking quota.
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Ashok Mittal, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab and Chancellor of Lovely Professional University, has been named as the replacement deputy leader, while Sanjay Singh remains the party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha.
Reasons and political context
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Reports suggest the decision follows Chadha’s perceived silence on key party matters, especially after a lower court discharged AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the excise‑policy‑related CBI case, without him publicly backing them.
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Party sources describe it as part of an internal leadership reshuffle ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, marking a notable setback for Chadha, who had emerged as one of AAP’s prominent national faces in Parliament.
