(Image source from: PTI)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Arvind Kejriwal, has taken Raghav Chadha out of his role as the party's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha and has appointed Ashok Mittal, an MP from Punjab, as his replacement. Mittal, who will now serve as AAP's deputy leader in the Upper House, is also the chancellor at Lovely Professional University. Sanjay Singh, another AAP MP, is the leader of the party in the House. Currently, AAP has ten representatives in the Rajya Sabha, with seven from Punjab and three from Delhi. The party ranks as the fourth largest in the House, following the BJP, Congress, and Trinamool Congress. This change today is notable and brings uncertainty about Chadha's future, who was once seen as a key figure and part of Kejriwal's close group within the party. At thirty-seven, Chadha has been involved with AAP since it was formed. He studied at Delhi's Modern School and is a chartered accountant. Chadha met Kejriwal during the later part of the India Against Corruption movement when there were discussions about forming a party. At the age of twenty-three, Chadha joined AAP as it was being established, and his initial political job was preparing the Delhi Lokpal Bill.

Chadha became a prominent face for AAP as its national spokesperson and frequently participated in television discussions. He was made AAP's national treasurer when he was just twenty-six. He won the Rajinder Nagar seat in the 2020 Delhi elections and took on the role of vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board. In 2022, he was chosen as AAP's candidate for the Rajya Sabha. While AAP has not publicly stated why this change is viewed as a demotion for Chadha, there has been ongoing talk about his standing within the party for several months.

Chadha’s lack of participation in important party events and his quietness regarding issues, like the clearance for Kejriwal and AAP leader Manish Sisodia, led to rumors circulating among political circles. Nonetheless, Chadha has been actively bringing up important topics in the Rajya Sabha, such as the high costs of food at airports, the rights of gig workers, and traffic problems in large cities. Mittal expressed his gratitude to Kejriwal for entrusting him with this role. He stated, “Our party is a democratic party and lets every leader gain experience. First, ND Gupta was the deputy leader, then it was Chadha ji and now it is me.”