Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal’s long standoff with the Aam Aadmi Party has finally culminated in her entry into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but the delay was not so much political hesitation as it was legal hesitation.
Swati Maliwal was among seven Rajya Sabha MPs who walked out of the AAP on April 24 as part of a coordinated breakaway led by Raghav Chadha. The group has now moved to merge with the BJP, bypassing the two-thirds quota required under the anti-defection law.
Nearly two years after her public disagreements with Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP, Swati Maliwal has officially joined the BJP.
Her departure comes after months of escalating tensions with the AAP leadership. Activist-turned-politician Maliwal, who was considered close to Kejriwal, has turned into one of AAP’s harshest internal critics, accusing the leadership of abandoning its founding principles.
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Statement by Swati Maliwal
Announcing her decision on Friday, Maliwal wrote to
She said it was “with great sadness” that she noted that “the principles, values and determination for honest politics with which we started this journey have been abandoned by Arvind Kejriwal Ji and, at his behest, the entire Aam Aadmi Party”.
She reiterated the allegations that are currently part of a legal battle: “At his residence, on his signal, I was severely beaten and treated with utmost rudeness. To protect his man, he went to extreme lengths and rewarded him with high positions. Threats were made to destroy me, and every possible effort was made against me. Seeing the growing unbridled corruption in the Aam Aadmi Party under the patronage of Kejriwal ji, incidents of molestation and assault on women, promotion of bullying. Elements, and what is happening “From betrayal and looting in Punjab, I have decided to leave the party today.”
Read also | Why Swati Maliwal’s fight with AAP will not affect her seat in Rajya Sabha
Why couldn’t you leave earlier?
Maliwal, who has been at loggerheads with the Aam Aadmi Party leadership since 2024 but did not resign earlier as it would have cost her her Rajya Sabha membership.
The party also avoided expelling her, because that would not have led to her automatic removal from the Senate.
Maliwal must be part of at least two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs to make a legally protected switch. This threshold has now been met, with Raghav Chadha and others joining this coordinated move. Her current term in the Rajya Sabha – elected from Delhi – runs until 2030.
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What has changed now?
The coordinated exit of seven representatives changed the equation. With two-thirds of the APC’s Rajya Sabha members backing the split, the group can legally merge with another party, in this case the Bharatiya Janata Party, without causing disqualification. This collective move gave Maliwal a safe political exit that was not available to her previously.
From insider to maverick
Swati Maliwal, former chairperson of the Delhi Women’s Affairs Commission, has been among the Aam Aadmi Party’s most prominent advocates.
The most serious flashpoint came in May 2024, when she was allegedly assaulted at the Prime Minister’s residence by an aide of Arvind Kejriwal. She said in her complaint that she was “slapped several times, punched… and even pulled,” adding that her calls for help went unanswered. An FIR was later filed, citing assault and criminal intimidation charges.
The allegations sent immediate political shockwaves. Its opposition soon extended beyond internal criticism.
She organized protests, targeted her party leadership on civic issues, and publicly challenged Kejriwal over governance failures, including pollution in the Yamuna river.
