New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan has accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party MPs with the BJP, increasing the ruling party’s strength in the Upper House to 113 while reducing AAP’s tally to three, sources told PTI on Monday.

The development came despite the AAP writing to the Chairman on Sunday seeking the disqualification of the seven MPs who switched sides.

With the decision, BJP’s numbers in the Rajya Sabha have officially risen to 113, while AAP’s representation has fallen sharply after losing more than two-thirds of its MPs in the House.

The trio of MPs -- Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal -- had parted ways with the AAP on Friday and later joined the BJP in the presence of senior party leaders.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Raghav Chadha said that Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Swati Maliwal had also joined the BJP.

The move marks a major political setback for the AAP in the Rajya Sabha.

Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh has formally petitioned Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan to disqualify the seven MPs.

The petition challenged the "purported merger" under paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and sought the disqualification of the MPs under its paragraph 2(1)(a).

Paragraph 2 of the Tenth Schedule deals with disqualification on the ground of defection. Sub-paragraph (1) states that, subject to paragraphs 4 and 5, a member belonging to a political party shall be disqualified from the House if the member has voluntarily given up membership of that party.

AAP leaders have argued that the claimed merger does not meet the constitutional requirements laid down under anti-defection provisions.