Three former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders from Punjab have formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), giving a new dimension to the political contest ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

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Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh joined the BJP at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. All three had recently severed ties with the AAP, though their exits followed different circumstances.

Jouramajra and Pathanmajra, who represented Samana and Sanour respectively, were suspended by the AAP over alleged anti-party activities. Both subsequently resigned from the party's primary membership. The AAP had also said it would approach the Punjab Assembly Speaker seeking their disqualification as legislators.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, the former MLA from Amritsar North, had been suspended from the AAP on June 29, 2025. He announced his resignation from the Punjab Assembly on Monday, with his resignation letter stating that it would take effect from November 1, 2026.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh speaks of 'Punjab First'

In a message addressed to the people of Amritsar on X, Singh thanked them for their support and said he would remain indebted to them throughout his life.

He called for a collective effort to move Punjab beyond what he described as "the politics of lanes and ribbon-cutting". Referring to drugs, extortion, gangsterism and corruption as challenges facing the state, he said he wanted to work towards restoring Punjab's progress.

Singh also spoke of building clean politics and transparent administration, declaring that his sole purpose would be "Punjab First".

His statement outlined his political priorities, although he did not specify in the message why he had chosen to join the BJP.

AAP steps up preparations for 2027 polls

The developments come as political parties begin preparing for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The AAP has already announced its first list of 40 candidates, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri and Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura.

The list also features several ministers, including Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Balkar Singh, Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, Kulwant Singh and Labh Singh Ugoke. Sanjeev Arora, who is currently in jail, has been named as the party's candidate from Ludhiana West.

AAP hits back at BJP over defections

Responding to the exits, AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the BJP of taking in leaders who had been sidelined by the ruling party in Punjab.

Bhardwaj said the BJP was collecting AAP's "leftovers" because it lacked candidates to contest the Punjab Assembly elections. He alleged that the BJP could offer tickets to legislators who had been discarded by the AAP.

The BJP has not yet announced its candidate list for the 2027 Punjab elections.