Chandigarh/New Delhi: Three AAP Punjab MLAs joined the BJP in New Delhi on Monday, coming as a boost to the latter in the state, where it is making an all-out push to emerge as a serious contender for power after languishing on the margins so far.Chetan Singh Jouramajra, a former cabinet minister elected from Samana, former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who won from Amritsar North and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who represented Sanaur in the assembly, decried the “rising” gangsterism and drug abuse in the state and expressed confidence in BJP’s ability to turn things around as they joined the party. The three said only BJP could pull Punjab out of its troubles.Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has accepted the resignations of Pathanmajra and Kunwar Vijay from the assembly and declared their seats vacant from Monday. Jouramajra, who is yet to resign from the assembly, has been summoned for a hearing on Nov 5 following a representation by AAP chief whip Baljinder Kaur seeking action under the anti-defection law.BJP has combined the push to bolster its ranks, a strategy which fetched the party its highest-ever vote share of over 18% in Lok Sabha polls without translating into any seat, with an aggressive ground campaign, especially over the drug menace, to corner AAP and deepen its mass connect in Punjab where Congress is the main opposition party.The move came after AAP announced its first list of 40 candidates on Saturday.Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon projected the exodus of AAP leaders as an indication of the party being a “sinking ship”, while his party grows by the day. He rejected criticism that the BJP was inducting leaders from other parties, accusing AAP of following the same practice while naming Surjit Singh Rakhra, Pawan Kumar Tinu, Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Hardeep Singh Dimpy Dhillon, Harmeet Singh Sandhu, Mohinder Bhagat and Gurpreet Singh GP.BJP Punjab affairs in charge Satish Poonia, who was present during the joining ceremony, said the BJP would campaign against the “three Cs” — chitta, corruption and crime — and set a target of making Punjab drug-free by Dec 31, 2029.A 1998-batch IPS officer, Kunwar Vijay was part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Kotkapura police firing case. The Punjab and Haryana high court quashed the SIT report in April 2021, raising questions about its fairness, impartiality and methodology. It directed the state govt to constitute a fresh SIT comprising three senior IPS officers, excluding Kunwar Vijay. He later took premature retirement and joined AAP ahead of the 2022 assembly elections.AAP suspended him in June 2025 after he repeatedly questioned the govt’s handling of sacrilege cases and investigations, and criticised its response to the Vigilance Bureau’s action against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.In his remarks, Kunwar Vijay said, “My five-year internship with AAP has come to an end today.“ He accused the govt of failing on education, law and order and development, and said Punjab had lost its identity and standing.Pathanmajra, who faces a rape case, said he had been in touch with BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh and other leaders for several days before joining the party. He accused AAP of sidelining leaders who raised Punjab-related issues.Pathanmajra, who has been associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress and Punjabi Ekta Party, said he wanted to turn “Udta Punjab” into “Ubharda Punjab” and claimed the state govt had borrowed nearly Rs 2.5 lakh crore during its tenure.Jouramajra questioned the govt’s claims about Aam Aadmi Clinics, alleging that around 3,000 rural dispensaries had been shut and replaced by 881 clinics.While the former MLAs had been unhappy with AAP for a long time, their decision to join BJP comes at a time when it is reportedly in backroom talks with Sukhbir Singh Badal–led Shiromani Akali Dal for reviving their alliance.
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