Chandigarh/New Delhi: The Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly on Monday accepted the resignations of Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra as MLAs and declared their seats vacant, ANI reported. The move came on the same day that the two, along with a third AAP legislator — Chetan Singh Jouramajra of Samana — formally joined the BJP in New Delhi. Awaaz Punjab has already reported the joining itself; this report covers the war of words that followed and the Speaker's decision. ANI's report did not state the position of Jouramajra's Assembly seat after the two acceptances; AAP had earlier said it would approach the Speaker to seek the disqualification of Jouramajra and Pathanmajra.
The defectors' charges: after joining, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh told IANS that extortion had become an "organised industry" in Punjab, and alleged that a person identified as a criminal by the Supreme Court is being protected within the Chief Minister's Office and is effectively running Punjab. "Today, nobody knows who the real Chief Minister of Punjab is — Bhagwant Mann or Arvind Kejriwal… If the Constitution is under threat anywhere, it is in Punjab," he said. He described his time in AAP as an "internship" that had now ended, told ANI that AAP was "finished" in Punjab, and claimed that as Amritsar SP in 2007–09 he had eradicated drugs and crime there. These are the defectors' allegations and claims; the reports read carried no AAP response to the specific Chief Minister's Office allegation. Pathanmajra said AAP had pushed Punjab into a "quagmire" of debt, drugs and gangsterism — "Udta Punjab" must become "Ubharta Punjab" — and that the BJP would form the next government. Jouramajra claimed that some AAP MLAs who have already received tickets might give them up and join the BJP.
Congress and SAD attack: Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said "when a ship begins to sink, those on board start jumping off first" and that "politics has become a joke". Congress leader Udit Raj claimed 40–45 MLAs had been ready to leave and alleged that Punjab is being run from Delhi — his claims, with no independent corroboration in the reports read. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa called the switch a "well-calculated conspiracy" and levelled a "Vitamin M" (money) allegation, while MP Manish Tewari demanded a stronger anti-defection law. Punjab Congress working president Raj Kumar Verka claimed his party had a list of 35 to 40 more leaders likely to leave AAP. SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said "no MLA wants to remain with them anymore", and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said "no one will remain in Jhaadu" and that Chief Minister Mann would lose in 2027 — again, political claims, not verified findings.
AAP's pushback and the BJP's welcome: AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj said the BJP does not have even 117 candidates and has a habit of collecting "trash". Punjab AAP president Aman Arora said the Punjab BJP has neither leadership nor a base, which is why it is taking in leaders facing serious allegations. AAP Punjab spokespeople Baltej Pannu and Neel Garg said the departures would make no difference and that the Mann government would return on its work; Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said the three should have resolved their differences through talks. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon, welcoming the three, said experienced leaders were leaving AAP's "sinking ship".
What happens next: the vacancies in Amritsar North and Sanaur open the way to by-elections in both seats. Jouramajra's seat position, and whether the opposition's claims of further exits materialise, are the points to watch in the coming days.