The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has replaced Raghav Chadha as the deputy leader of its Rajya Sabha group, with Punjab‑based MP Ashok Mittal set to take over the key coordination role in the Upper House. The party has formally written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking Chadha’s removal from the post and asking that he not be allotted time to speak in Parliament from AAP’s quota, marking a significant internal reshuffle in the party’s parliamentary leadership.
What the move signals
Chadha, a core AAP leader and one of the party’s few national‑stage faces, has been a prominent voice in the Rajya Sabha on law‑and‑order, finance, and governance issues. His demotion comes at a politically sensitive time, amid criticism from within AAP and opposition parties that several AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, including Chadha, were relatively subdued during recent high‑profile protests and floor debates. The parallel appointment of Ashok Mittal—another Punjab MP and close organisational figure—suggests a tightening of party‑floor discipline and a shift toward a more “team‑first” approach in the House.
Silenced speaking time and Kejriwal’s silence
The instruction to the Secretariat not to allocate speaking time to Chadha in the Rajya Sabha is an unusual step, signalling that the leadership wants to marginalise his independent‑orator role at least in the short term. Yet, party supremo Arvind Kejriwal has not publicly commented on the change, leaving observers to read it either as a quiet inner‑party correction or as part of a broader recalibration of AAP’s federal‑level leadership ahead of upcoming state and national elections. The move is widely seen as a clear signal that the party is now prioritising cohesion and messaging‑control in Parliament over the individual prominence of even long‑time top leaders.
