Sandeep Pathak was among seven Rajya Sabha MPs who recently left AAP and merged with the BJP. The other MPs included Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney, Harbhajan Singh, and Ashok Mittal. Except for Swati Maliwal, all the MPs were from Punjab. Their collective departure has significantly reduced AAP’s strength in the Rajya Sabha from ten members to three, marking a substantial setback for the party ahead of the upcoming Punjab elections.
According to government sources cited in earlier reports, the FIRs have been registered under non-bailable provisions. Authorities have also stated that Punjab Police is making efforts to apprehend the accused following the registration of the cases. However, there has been no official confirmation from Punjab Police regarding the FIRs at this stage.
Amid emerging reports, Sandeep Pathak was seen leaving his residence in Delhi. When approached for a response, he chose not to comment and departed in his vehicle. Speaking to news agency ANI, Pathak stated that he had no knowledge of any FIR registered against him.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has strongly reacted to the development, alleging political retaliation by the AAP leadership. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, in a post on social media platform X, accused AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of engaging in vindictive politics and misusing the Punjab Police against political opponents.
He stated that the FIRs against Sandeep Pathak, who until recently served as AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP and national general secretary (organisation), reflect “shameless and brazen vendetta politics.” He further alleged that Kejriwal is acting out of political vengeance and questioned whether any new evidence had emerged recently or whether the alleged wrongdoing had occurred only after the party switch.
Poonawalla also questioned the timing of the FIRs, arguing that if such cases existed earlier, they should have been filed long before, and raising doubts over why Pathak remained in a senior organisational role if he was under suspicion.
The development has escalated political tensions in Punjab, with allegations of targeted action against dissenting leaders now taking center stage. As investigations and political exchanges continue, the case has become a focal point in the larger narrative of party defections and shifting alliances ahead of crucial state elections.a
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