Aam Aadmi Party has written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking the removal of Raghav Chadha from the post of its deputy leader in the Upper House, sources told news agency PTI.
In its communication, the party also requested that Chadha not be allotted speaking time from AAP’s quota in the Rajya Sabha, signalling a notable shift in its parliamentary approach.
Aam Aadmi Party has nominated Ashok Mittal as the new deputy leader in the Upper House and has urged the secretariat to formalise the appointment at the earliest.
The party currently has 10 members in the Rajya Sabha, including seven from Punjab and three from Delhi.
Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, has been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party since its inception. He began his political journey working with Arvind Kejriwal on the Delhi Lokpal Bill in 2012.
He quickly rose through the ranks, serving as a national spokesperson and later becoming the party’s youngest treasurer following AAP’s victory in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections.
He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi but was defeated by Ramesh Bidhuri. He later won the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections from Rajendra Nagar and went on to serve as the vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board.
In 2022, Raghav Chadha became the youngest Rajya Sabha MP at the age of 33 and has since played a significant role in the Aam Aadmi Party’s parliamentary and organizational activities, working closely with leaders such as Manish Sisodia and Bhagwant Mann.
In 2023, the Aam Aadmi Party appointed Raghav Chadha as its leader in the Rajya Sabha, replacing Sanjay Singh.
Raghav Chadha has often been in the spotlight for bringing important public issues to attention in the House.
Last month, he raised concerns about the practice of “sarpanch pati” or “panchayat pati,” where women elected to reserved Panchayat seats are often reduced to figureheads, with actual power being exercised by their male relatives.
He called on the government to ensure that women representatives can function independently, in line with the spirit of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.
Raghav Chadha had also raised the issue of menstrual hygiene in Parliament, describing it as a matter of health, education, and equality affecting over 35 crore women and girls. He argued that limited access to sanitary pads, water, and privacy – forcing many girls to miss school – points to a systemic failure rather than a personal issue, and criticised the stigma surrounding a natural biological process.
Earlier this year, amid protests by gig workers, Raghav Chadha spent a day working as a delivery partner to gain firsthand insight into the pressures and challenges faced by workers in the sector.