Punjab AAP faces first setback as two sitting MLAs quit party, likely to join BJP

CHANDIGARH: Two sitting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs, Chetan Singh Jouramajra from Samana and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra from Sanaur, have resigned from the party's primary membership, a day after it announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Both are likely to join the BJP.

Their resignations mark the first signs of dissent within the AAP following the announcement of its candidate list. Neither MLA figures in the list.

Both Jouramajra and Pathanmajra were unlikely to be renominated, as the party had already appointed Assembly constituency in-charges in their respective constituencies, indicating a possible change of candidates. Ranjod Hadana was appointed the constituency in-charge for Sanaur, while the party high command appointed former senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Surjit Singh Rakhra as the in-charge of the Samana Assembly constituency. The latter appointment had reportedly angered Jouramajra, as the induction of a new constituency in-charge in his own seat was seen as a blow to his political stature.

Pathanmajra's strained relations with the party leadership and the controversy surrounding him had also raised questions about his prospects of securing the AAP ticket for another term.

Announcing his resignation, Chetan Singh Jouramajra wrote on Facebook, "I, Chetan Singh Jouramajra, resign from the primary membership of the Aam Aadmi Party." Meanwhile, Sanaur MLA Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra wrote, "I submit my resignation from the primary membership of the Aam Aadmi Party with immediate effect."

Both MLAs confirmed their resignations to the TNIE. Jouramajra, a former state Cabinet minister, said, "I have resigned. I do not have my heart in the party. The situation in Punjab is heartbreaking." Pathanmajra also confirmed that he had resigned.

Pathanmajra has been at the centre of a controversy following the registration of a rape case against him. The MLA had been absconding after the case was registered, bringing him under the spotlight and raising questions about his political future.

Jouramajra, who had served as a Cabinet minister in the Bhagwant Mann government, was dropped from the Council of Ministers during a Cabinet reshuffle. His removal was seen as a setback for the Samana MLA. He was reportedly unhappy with the decision, and his resignation comes ahead of the Assembly elections, as the AAP has begun reorganising its constituency-level leadership and preparing its candidates.

The sudden resignations of Pathanmajra and Jouramajra have intensified political turmoil in their constituencies as well as across the state.