Representative image. UnpetitproleX, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
Punjab voters have seen three of AAP's MLAs change sides before the 2027 Assembly election, and the seats they hold now depend on the Speaker's decisions. For readers in Punjab, the change matters for who represents their constituency until a vote is held. The reports read do not show a direct effect on government policy yet.
Three AAP MLAs join BJP in Punjab at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi on Monday, 2 November 2026. They are Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra, The Hindu reported. The move comes a day after two of them quit AAP’s primary membership, and months before Punjab’s Assembly election, due in 2027.
What happened on 1 and 2 November
A party’s primary membership is its formal membership, separate from an MLA’s seat in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the state’s Legislative Assembly. The reports read treat the two as different steps. Pathanmajra, who represents Sanour in Patiala district, and Jouramajra, the MLA for Samana, resigned from AAP’s primary membership on Sunday, 1 November. The reports read do not say that either of them gave up their seat.
Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a former IPS officer who represents Amritsar North, resigned as MLA on Monday and sent his resignation to the Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha before joining the BJP, India Today reported. AAP had suspended him for five years in June 2025 over what the party said were anti-party activities, and he had criticised the state’s Vigilance Bureau action against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
| MLA | Seat | What they did on 1 and 2 November |
|---|---|---|
| Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh | Amritsar North | Resigned as MLA on 2 November; joined the BJP the same day |
| Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra | Sanour, Patiala district | Resigned from AAP’s primary membership on 1 November; joined the BJP on 2 November |
| Chetan Singh Jouramajra | Samana | Resigned from AAP’s primary membership on 1 November; joined the BJP on 2 November |
Why these AAP MLAs join BJP, in their own words
Pathanmajra and Jouramajra said they were quitting because AAP had not fulfilled the promises it made during the 2022 Assembly election, The Hindu reported. Pathanmajra also said that the debt burden on farmers and the law and order situation needed attention, and that a BJP government would restore order in Punjab, pointing to Uttar Pradesh.
Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh went further. He said Punjab was fighting for its identity and that “Gangsters are becoming part of Punjab government,” according to India Today. He said only the BJP could bring back peace in the state.
How AAP and the BJP responded to the move
AAP’s Punjab chief spokesperson, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who is also an MLA, said the party had put Punjab’s interests first and had acted against its own ministers and MLAs over corruption. He said the BJP was trying to bring in leaders who faced serious allegations, The Hindu reported.
BJP Punjab president Kewal Singh Dhillon said that leaders switching parties was a common occurrence, and that AAP would lose the Punjab election. He said the AAP government had failed to make progress on drug abuse and law and order, India Today reported. BJP Punjab in-charge Satish Poonia and co-in-charge Virendra Sachdeva were at the joining event, the report said.
Why the seats matter before 2027
The three moves come before the 2027 Assembly election, and AAP has already begun to name its own candidates. Our earlier report on AAP’s first candidate list sets out how many seats were still open at that point. A change of MLAs does not by itself change the number of seats in the Assembly, but it changes who holds them until the next vote.
What it means for voters in the three seats
For voters in Amritsar North, Sanour and Samana, the immediate change is that the seat they elected a legislator to represent is now held by a party that differs from the one their MLA stood for in 2022, or, in Amritsar North’s case, is vacant after the resignation. Ahead of the Punjab assembly election 2027, the reports read do not describe any change to government policy, and they do not say how the Punjab government will respond on the two MLAs who quit AAP’s membership.
What is still unclear
The reports read do not say whether the Speaker has accepted Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh’s resignation, or whether a by-election will be held for Amritsar North. They also do not say what happens next to the two MLAs who resigned from AAP’s primary membership but kept their seats, according to the reports read. Anything beyond the joining itself is still to come from the Speaker’s office, and the reports read do not say when that will be. The Punjab assembly election 2027 is the next test of these seats.
Frequently asked questions
Who are the three AAP MLAs who joined the BJP?
Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra, according to The Hindu and India Today.
Did all three MLAs give up their seats?
No. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh resigned as MLA on 2 November. The reports read do not say that the other two gave up their seats.
When is the Punjab Assembly election?
It is due in 2027, according to The Hindu.