In a significant development, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has moved to replace Raghav Chadha from the post of Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha, indicating signs of an internal rift within the party. AAP MP Ashok
Mittal has been appointed to serve as the party’s new Deputy Leader in the Upper House.
AAP has submitted an official letter to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat informing about the decision to remove Chadha as the party’s deputy leader. The party has also requested that Raghav Chadha should not be allocated time to speak in Parliament. The party has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
In recent times, Chadha has largely distanced himself from AAP’s agenda or leaders since the party’s defeat in the Delhi elections 2025, focusing on public interest issues like his paid paternity leave and high food costs at airports.
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He also raised issues like safeguarding the rights of gig workers and the worsening traffic situation in India’s major cities. His silence on core AAP issues had sparked exit rumours, particularly after he was left out from the list of the party’s star campaigners for Assam.
However, the Aam Aadmi Party has not officially stated the reason behind this decision. Reports suggest that the move may have been taken over allegations of indiscipline and not adhering to the party line. Notably, Chadha had remained silent over Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia’s recent discharge in connection with the liquor excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Meanwhile, Chadha recently raised the issue of paid paternity leave in Parliament, arguing that caregiving should be a shared responsibility, and demanded that it be made a legal right in India. He said the responsibility of raising and caring for the newborn largely falls on the mother, which was unfair, and that fathers should not be forced to choose between being there for their child and securing their livelihood.
