Mann Urges President to Strip Rebel AAP MPs of Rajya Sabha Seats

Punjab's dynamic Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann turned up the heat on defected AAP Rajya Sabha members Tuesday, urging President Droupadi Murmu to declare them unfit and vacate their seats for fresh polls. Post-meeting with the President, Mann didn't mince words with journalists, accusing the seven MPs—who jumped ship to BJP—of bypassing every constitutional safeguard. He ridiculed their strategy: 'Hating AAP? Just resign and contest anew under BJP—we'd happily take them on.' Mann stressed legal pathways—either wholesale party mergers or ratified proposals—were ignored. Now, BJP enjoys undue Rajya Sabha strength from Punjab (six seats) plus local MLAs, turning democracy into a punchline, he charged. Six of the defectors hail from Punjab, making this a direct hit on the state's representation. Mann's pitch to the President: enforce disqualification, enable AAP's re-contest, or amend rules if gaps exist. A follow-up from the Rashtrapati Bhavan is on the cards after expert review. At another forum, Mann broadened his salvo, branding BJP's moves as a calculated erasure of regional voices. This saga from Delhi's power corridors reverberates in Punjab's political arena, where AAP fights to preserve its footprint. With elections looming, Mann's aggressive advocacy tests the anti-defection law's teeth, promising prolonged courtroom and street-level skirmishes.